While My Child Is Away by Edie Melson - A Review

Little Guy is still, well, little.  He isn't away from me very often, and when he is it is usually with my husband, mother, or one of the select few people I trust not only to take care of him (which is a huge number, I know a lot of awesome people!), but to expect obedience and deliver consequences if it doesn't happen or is delayed, and not allow him to play on their tablets (a much, much smaller number).  But he is growing up.  This year he has started going to AWANAS, and I know that before I know it he will be involved in more things that don't also involve me.  Thinking of that gives me little mini panic attacks sometimes!  The world can be a scary place, and I fear that I won't do a good enough job raising him to prepare him to face the world and remain a good person.

This book, which was provided to me free of charge from First Look/Worthy Publishing, intrigued me, because, as I said, I am prematurely worried about the choices my son will make in another decade.  Plus, it is beautiful!

The bulk of the book is prayers to pray for your children when they are away from you.  Each section also includes a few prayers you might like to pray for yourself when you are struggling with your child being away.  At the end of each section are a few devotions to help you even more.

There are nine topics:

1. The Triumph of Love -  Mostly focused on God's Love
2. Making Good Choices - A lot of talk about wisdom
3. Peace Beyond Circumstances - For when your child needs to see beyond the present, into the eternal
4. True Self-Confidence - Purpose, modesty, and materialism to name a few subjects
5. A Foundation of Faith - Prayers that they will find their own faith, and honor it
6. A Core of Strength - Including prayers for courage and health
7. Companions Matter - Marriage, friends, church, and God
8. My God, My Defender - Safety: In the car, on a plane, in a classroom, etc.
9. Fully Present - A few more prayers that didn't fit into the other sections

I really like the prayers in this book.  They are the words I would want to say, if only I had thought of them.  The prayers in this book walk the fine line between being personal, and being reverent.  Prayers that are to formal can sound insincere, but I do not like prayers that speak to our Creator God as if he were our peer.  Not to say that sometimes my personal prayers don't sometimes veer off into "to familiar" territory, but if you are publishing a book it is important to me that the prayers are respectful. 

I think that any mother would appreciate this book, and would go back to it many, many times as her children grow up and become more independent.   

You can purchase this book on Amazon for $10.80 by clicking here (not an affiliate link).