Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Never Say No by Mark and Jan Foreman

Never Say No by Mark and Jan Foreman

I am not a parent.  Maybe one day I will be but I did not choose to read this book on hopes of being a parent. I chose this book because children have been a reoccurring theme in my life. My experiences with children have ranged from monthly nursery duty to being a nanny for 2 ½ years.  Now I find myself teaching preschoolers each Sunday and meeting weekly with teenage girls. Oh, and I even have a degree in secondary education. I am around children a lot. And no matter the amount that I’m around them I want the time to be well spent and purposeful. And I believe that it can.

My hope for this book was to find ways and advice on speaking love and being affirming to the teens and children that I teach. I understand I’m not the parent but I do take seriously the role that I’ve been given.

Never Say No delivered on all those points. Walking from childhood to adolescence to adulthood with Mark and Jan was such an enlightening and fun ride. Like they said, “This is not a blueprint for parenting.” The Foreman’s do a wonderful job of painting a broad picture with excellent and practical advice on how to parent well all the while making the purpose Jesus. 

The tone of this book is that of parents that thoroughly enjoyed being parents and now grandparents. Listening and learning from those who love what they do, I think, can inspire that same authenticity in others.


Wherever you are in your journey of parenthood or like me, just involved and invested in children around you, you will benefit from this book immensely. When you read this book sit down with a highlighter and get ready to underline!

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1PL7VrW

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions expressed here are my own.