Book Review: Faithful Families

By Jessica Oravec

 

As a minister to children and families, I am always on the lookout for resources that help families talk about faith at home. Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at Home, by Traci Smith, focuses on finding God in the everyday as well as in the special moments. It begins with creating traditions for daily life, offering a blessing at bedtime, preparing for the day to come, offering grace at mealtimes, marking the passage of time, and celebrating the Sabbath. These traditions are wonderful things to begin doing with young children but can also be adapted for older children and teenagers.

Next, Smith focuses on “Traditions for Holidays and Holy Days.” These traditions can be built upon year after year, as your child grows. They are wonderful ways to incorporate faith into special occasions.

Smith then covers ceremonies that mark life’s transitions such as moving to a new home, the first day of school, getting a driver’s license, etc. Smith also includes ceremonies to help children with difficult transitions such as the death of a loved one, the death of a pet, a traumatic event, or divorce. She even includes a ceremony to help children cope with anxiety.

The final part of the book covers spiritual practices. Smith helps children discover different ways to pray such as photo prayers, prayer beads, prayer walks, and candle prayers. Then, she focuses on ancient spiritual practices and how we can teach those to our children. Smith also includes other spiritual practices such as listening car rides, being a secret helper, and planting surprises.

Whether you read the book all the way through or take each practice one at a time as a family, Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at Home is a wonderful resource for parents to teach their children new ways to look for God.