There is a picture in my wedding album, dating back to the 1970s, of a beautiful, vivacious young woman with her sweet newborn baby. That was Geri Laing and her little daughter, Elizabeth. Even at that time, I knew that Geri was a woman to learn from and an example to follow. As time went by and I had my own children, I was fortunate enough to attend seminars and retreats and hear Geri’s precious nuggets of wisdom, particularly about raising children. So much of my own approach to mothering came from Geri’s teaching.Fast forward to the 21st century. My children are grown now, with children of their own. And so it is a pleasure to know that Geri’s instructions can be relied upon to raise my grandchildren. The Tender Years is a book co-written by Geri, a mother of four and a now a grandmother, and her oldest daughter, Elizabeth Laing Thompson, who has three little ones. This book has it all: Laughter, tears, encouragement, understanding, and inspiration. Geri’s no-nonsense yet compassionate advice and Elizabeth’s humorous and empathetic examples make this a “must-read” for any young mother. I was eager to make sure that this book found its way into the hands of my daughter and my daughter-in-law. And here’s what they said:
“I have admired Elizabeth from afar for many years. I've always been impressed with her confidence, and her heart ‘at peace’ - which is so rare in our fast, hectic, quick-fix world, especially as moms of, let’s just call them ‘very high energy’ little kiddos! In her book, The Tender Years, she addresses real, every-day issues with honesty, humility, and even comedy; because don't we all need to learn to laugh a little more, take a deep breath, and decide to love learning all that motherhood has to teach us? The Tender Years gets ‘down and dirty’ as it tackles universal mommy dilemmas and offers real-life solutions, all the while showing us that it is possible to have a healthy, godly outlook on parenting, and on this precious time in our kids’ lives!” (Summer McKean Sharobeem, mother of a 5-year-old boy and 10 month old girl)
- “Building blocks” at the end of each chapter that include practical tidbits, scriptures, and family devotional suggestions.
- A chapter specifically addressing the needs of single moms.
- Priceless poems by Elizabeth that capture the joys and heartache of motherhood.
Elizabeth's "Broken Record" http://www.dpibooks.org/Portals/0/PDFs/22%20broken%20record.pdf
