7 Solutions for Burned-Out Parents

Dobson, the Focus on the Family founder whose book The Strong-Willed Child made him a highly regarded expert on Christian parenting, turns his attention to helping parents slow down. Opening the book with anecdotes about how American families spend too much time hustling kids to soccer games and dance practice, Dobson strikes a chord with the ranks of the exhausted. His seven chapters are exceptionally brief, meaning that these same exhausted parents might actually find the hour or so it takes to digest this book. Although his suggestions are by no means new ones, they're solid and well presented: Keep the Sabbath; implement a slower lifestyle and spend precious time with family; live within your means; learn to say no to some new commitments and don't overload kids with scheduled activities; limit TV-watching; build a strong relationship with your spouse; and pray constantly. Dobson comes across as a comfortable fellow struggler rather than an authority who has managed to put all of these principles into practice all the time; some of the book's best moments come when he shares his own vulnerability (like the time his father called him to task for being too busy to attend to his family, or the time he learned a lesson about materialism as a game show contestant). This book will resonate with many worn-out moms and dads.