The Grace in "Spirit-Led Parenting"

Before I had my daughter, I did a lot of reading in preparation, since as a first-time mom, I was a legitimate rookie. I’d only changed half a dozen diapers before then and still felt awkward holding any baby who couldn’t hold their own head up.

So, I turned to books. I learned a lot, particularly all the things you shouldn’t do. I took notes, marked pages, and felt ready to take on this motherhood thing.

Then, my baby arrived. And with it, all my good intentions. I was in survival mode and would do whatever it took to stop crying, to settle down for sleep. Which is how I found myself doing all those things I’d vowed never to do because they were the only things that worked.

I felt like what I was doing was right for us, but the problem was that having read all those books, I carried guilt around about how “wrong” I was doing things. I worried about how I was going to right those wrongs later down the road, how my daughter would recover from those mistakes, how messed up I was making her in the process.

Fortunately, it was recommended that I check out another book, but this one was almost the opposite of all the others I’d read. It talked about freedom in parenting, about looking to God (rather than man) for your parenting decisions, and, most comforting to me, about how the authors had done many of the same “wrong” things I had—and everything turned out all right.


The book is Spirit-Led Parenting by Megan Tietz and Laura Oyer. The authors found themselves in the same position I did—torn between following the parenting books and advice and having children who weren’t thriving under those rules or situations that didn’t work out like the books all said they should. Whether it was breastfeeding issues or getting their babes to sleep, their early days as mothers were not easy and ended some days in tears—just like mine.

And yet, they found peace in leaning on God and letting go of all the “shoulds” and “musts” from parenting gurus to trust Him instead. Their book is an encouragement to other mothers who find themselves in similar spots, whose foray into motherhood has been harder than they’d expected and who need more than ordinary books provide.

I read this book while I was in Ohio with Claire, when life had gotten so hard (and she was crying so much) that I needed more help than my husband (who still had to work his full-time job) could provide. What a salve to my soul these women’s words were during that time. It was such a relief to read them and to hear their stories and how hard motherhood had been for them, how they’d cried tears, too. To hear that I was not alone in struggling with this transition of mine.

Even moreso, I found such encouragement as they talked, now a few years into motherhood, about how their children had turned out completely fine and healthy and independent in spite of the “mistakes” they’d made in those early days. That grace truly does extend into every aspect of life, even (especially?) in parenting.

This week, I’m excited to share a guest post by the authors as well as round out the week with a giveaway for some copies of the book. Because Spirit-Led Parenting actually is one of the books I think new moms or moms-to-be ought to read!

Related Posts
Discovering Peace in Parenting
On My Reading List: Books About Motherhood

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