Is this a parenting blog?

I can see how someone would readily ask: "Is this a parenting blog? What's with all the theology?" I think that those are good and appropriate questions, and would like to venture some answers.

Is this a parenting blog?
Yes, it is. I write as a parent, and about parenting. Even when I reflect on something else, I necessarily see through the lens of a parent, since that is what I am. I love capturing the memorable things that Elisabeth does and says. I want to be able to look back on the milestones later - both in Elisabeth's development and in my maturation as a father - and a blog provides a great way to do that.

So why isn't it more like daddytypes?
In some ways, I think there are a lot of similarities. They reflect on perceptions of fathers, challenges of fathering, and opportunities for dads. (Although I have to admit that thus far I've reflected more on parenting generally than on fathering specifically.) In other ways, my blog is pretty different. You'll find a lot less about what is going on in pop culture, consumerism and media as it relates to parenting, which is indicative of the importance that I ascribe to them.

Why so much theology?
Parenting necessarily begs the question of meaning. And if we're too tired from waking up in the middle of the night with the new little one, by the time that little one reaches 2, she or he forces the question: "Why?" For this reason, new parents often become more religious. I use that word to refer to constructing, or ascribing to, a system of meaning. For many parents, it includes going back to mosque, synagogue, or church after a long absence, although that is certainly not the path that all take. Yet every parent has an answer (ill-considered or well-considered) to the question, "What matters most?" It comes out in the way that we live. Like it or not, we live by our values. Our children are often the most astute observers of what matters most to us. They watch us carefully and imitate us vociferously, and so we often see in them little mirrors of ourselves and what we value. So parenting not only begs the question of meaning, it forces the question.

Every person has a way of understanding the world and its meaning, which Lesslie Newbigin calls a "plausibility structure." It is a statement of what we believe about reality, and what is valuable within that reality. The pervasive story in Western culture says that what can be known by scientific inquiry is that which is real, and that what is truly valuable is not intrinsic to reality, but a matter of personal opinion. Some value golf above all, others power and influence, others fame, others family, and so on. But it is without exeption that we all value many things, and that there is an order to those values.

So the long answer to "Why so much theology?" is: It is the answer to the question of meaning. God created and sustains all things, and has designed all of human history to display His beauty in mercy, and to bring all things in subjection to Jesus Christ. That is why theology is central to parenting.

Why review children's literature?
Reflecting on the answers to the why questions, and the accomanying how of parenting is a major undertaking. So why spend time reviewing children's books that anyone can find on Amazon? I'm convinced that great literature allows us to understand and experience God and His creation more fully. Since there is no end to the flood at the printing presses, and in my opinion most children's books are not worth reading, I consider it a service to other parents to highlight the books that are well worth reading so that they don't waste their time with the ones that they would only put down in disappointment anyway. In addition to pointing others to great authors and their books, I also want to create my own little index so that if I return to the classroom, or if God gives us more children, I can refer to this list rather than scratching my head and saying, "I read a lot of good books to Elisabeth when she was little, but now I can't remember what . . ."