For Busy Moms

Paul C. Reisser, M.D. has put together three guide books for busy moms. They are Busy Mom's Guide to Parenting Young Children, Busy Mom's Guide to Parenting Teens and Busy Mom's Guide to Family Nutrition. I'll start and focus primarily with the one I enjoyed the most which was the Guide to Parenting Teens. I think I enjoyed this one the most as we are not anywhere near the teen years so much of this was new information for me to consider as my own teen years seem far behind me. I thought the book did a great job covering a wide range of topics that will impact our teens at various levels. I am certainly glad I read through this book and feel that I am more equipped with information for those teenage years and the best part is I have all that information at my finger tips to reference again and again as needed. It covers the topics of potential teenage struggles from trying to assert their independence to teen sexuality, to drugs and alcohol to the ever imposing technological world of internet and social media. It is a Christian world view to these issues which is what I am seeking. I appreciated the organization and breakdown of each section and new topic making it an easy to access quick reference guide. Key concepts/questions are highlighted through out the text as it moves from one area to the next. The other two guides follow the same suit and are equally packed with useful information. They also have the same organizational breakdown making them quick easy reference guides as well.

The Guide to Family Nutrition was a little bit too nuts and bolts for me though. It looks at the science and nutritional side of foods and their makeups which was interesting and informative but not something I think I'll pick up again and again to reread. In chapter 4 it delves into the matter of controlling our weight and problems that may be faced with eating and diet. This chapter and chapter 6 on diet for children that weren't so scientific in their presentation. As a mom I was most hoping to get more of the practical application of all these facts, maybe in the form of recipes, or a list format of foods to avoid, what to look out for on labels, substitutions you could make. The information is in there but it is presented in such a way that I feel this book is probably the least successful in being a quick and easy go to reference. I feel like I would have to read through parts to find just what I was looking for or to even figure out what it is I'm looking for.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishing for the purpose of this review.