Book Review: Raising God-First Kids in a Me-First World

In a world where technology is taking the place of face to face conversations and where daytime television teaches our children everything there is to know about sex, many parents are looking for a resource to help raise our children into moral Catholic adults in this post-modern culture. Barbara Curtis has the answers. Before her untimely death, this beautiful woman of character wrote this book about Catholic parenting in the 21^st century. In a relatable and simple manner, she takes parents through some of the moral-sucking situations that plague us today and show us how to navigate through these waters with our children’s morality intact. As a mother of twelve children, four of which have Down’s syndrome, Barbara was an experienced mom. Through her stories of her life before her conversion to the Catholic faith, readers will know that Barbara is trustworthy because she had been in those same places we have been. Like one girlfriend speaking to another, mom’s will feel the love coming from the pages of this book (and mourn her passing as I did). 

As I began reading this book, I started feeling a great sadness that this mom, who was so full of love for her family, is no longer here on Earth. I wished that she could have written more books because this book was so relatable and I felt as if I knew her by time I finished the book. One of the main reasons that I love this book is that there are no fancy rules about how to be a good Catholic mom. She discusses things like good parenting, limiting media, and teaching about sexuality with your children but she doesn’t turn it into a legalistic and time consuming practice that is so complicated that you want to give up after two days. She offers advice like an older friend who has been where you are and wants to make your life a little easier than hers was. Although this is a good read for all parents, because some of the topics are somewhat common sense for those of us who have been parenting for a while, I would recommend this book for parents who are in the beginning of the parenting journey or who are new to the Faith. 

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Raising God-First Kids in a Me-First World. The Catholic Company is the best resource for all your seasonal needs such as First Communion gifts as well as ideas and gifts for the special papal Year of Faith.