We’re thrilled to announce that the BINTH baby book giveaway (value $95) is extended to March 11th!! To enter please Click This Link to find our review and add your comment. These gorgeous books are the ideal baby shower gift, or indulge in a book for yourself to hold all the precious memories of your newborns moments. I know that baby Greta (Katie’s newborn daughter) is loving hers!

Leslie Leyland Fields dispels this and numerous other parenting myths in her new book, Parenting Is Your Highest Calling and Eight Other Myths That Trap Us in Worry and Guilt. I don’t usually read parenting books, though I did read The Five Love Languages of Children and was thoroughly enlightened—definitely one of my favorite non-fiction books. And I did enjoy Mother Nurture, which I reviewed back in July. But I was intrigued by the title since many moms like myself are often bombarded with guilt and worry when it comes to raising our children.

Now, before I received the book I was told it would have some scriptural references but the topic would be of interest to parents and families of all walks of faith. I am totally okay with that; I’m not one to shy away from a book that might reference other beliefs as long as it’s not a negative book if that makes sense. (I really enjoyed the “pray” section of Eat, Pray, Love and I’m definitely no yogi!) That being said I found Parenting Is Your Highest Calling to be a bit much for me. It didn’t have just a few scriptural or faith-related references; it was chock full of them. It was a bit heavier reading than I had anticipated (e.g. the myth titled “You represent Jesus to your children”). I just didn’t see myself taking the time to fill out the “Reflection and Discussion” sections at the end of every chapter, but then again, perhaps I’d be a better mother if I did. Who knows?

On the other hand, this book did make a great effort dispelling nine myths of parenting including “Having children makes you happy;” “Good parenting leads to happy children;” and my favorite, “You will always feel unconditional love for your children.” Now THAT one I know is a myth after birthing four very different children! I really liked this excerpt on page 23 from the section “Why do we have children at all?”:

Having children today defies personal economics. Web sites coolly calculate the cost of raising a child at anywhere between $150,000 and $1 million each. Children simply cost too much—and not just in dollar figures. They undo us. They shows us how much and how little we’re made of. It often seems that they come only to break our hearts. And we let them. We invite it all. We admit perfect strangers through our doors and decide to love them wildly, without condition, for as long as we live.

So why do we have children? The answer is simple: to learn to love. “At the heart of our desire to have children, then even beyond our hopes for happiness, is the longing to love.” That is probably my favorite part from the entire book. It’s such a simple yet beautiful concept…and it rings true.

From my favorite myth (“You will always feel unconditional love for your children”) Fields shares with us this insight:

Though we may not always feel a deep, unconditional love for our children, that does not mean we love them any less. When our children disobey, then they cause harm to another, when they choose attitudes and actions that cut against the holiness God desires, we will have an emotional response—if we truly love them. Loving them means that we desire their highest good. ... We may feel anger, as God does. We may feel hurt, as God does. We may feel disgust, as God does. Love not only allows these feelings; it requires them.

Leslie is the mother of six, and as she points out in Parenting Is Your Highest Calling, imperfect like the rest of us. Hearing about some of her challenges and stories from other women makes it easier to dispel those nine myths and feel a little less guilty when your parenting isn’t up to par. Perhaps if I didn’t have some wonderful girlfriends who are figuring out this motherhood thing with me—and making me feel less guilty—I’d read more parenting books!—Emily

P.S. If you enjoy a good parenting book but aren’t sure how much religion you’d like with your reading, check out the book from the library first to make sure it’s right for you.)

** Giveaway! We are giving away two copies of Parenting Is Your Highest Calling. Please leave a comment with a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winners from the comments and contact them via email. Deadline: March 13, 2009 (midnight). The winners will have 24 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.

• Congratulations to Rebecca F. and Candice B., the winners of the giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

I’ve reviewed a handful of DVDs from Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures collection and apparently they liked the reviews enough to keep sending us more. Mind you, I’m not complaining and neither are my kids, but who knew there were so many treasures in their collection! Today I’m giving you the lowdown on four titles, all of which the family has thoroughly reviewed (at least two or three times).

Where the Wild Things Are…and 5 More Stories by Maurice Sendak: This is one of my favorite children’s books, and it was a favorite long before Jeremiah at Z Recommends pointed out the deeper level at which you could enjoy it (scroll down to the fifth paragraph). This DVD features the title story plus five other Sendak treasures, including Into the Night Kitchen, which fascinated me the first time I read it. (See Jeremiah’s review of that story as well…wish I had read between the lines!). My kids loved this DVD, especially George who has yet to read Where the Wild Things Are. Guess I better add that to the library list! The disc also features a getting-to-know Maurice Sendak blurb and Spanish and French versions of Where the Wild Things Are.

Make Way for Ducklings…and More Delightful Duck Stories: I have to admit, I didn’t get a chance to watch this DVD in its entirety though I did catch the first story and loved it! Make Way for Ducklings is a best-selling children’s book and it was the first time I had seen it. How did I miss this classic?

Harry the Dirty Dog…and More Playful Puppy Stories: This was one of my kids’ favorite DVDs out of the group. It was slipped into the DVD player quite a few times, especially by my son. Perhaps it’s because Harry loves to be muddy and Dot the fire dog is such a hero, whatever the reason, he loved it!

Night Before Christmas…and More Classic Holiday Tales: I don’t generally do anything Christmas (besides a little shopping) before the day after Thanksgiving, but when this DVD arrived, my kids couldn’t wait to watch it, so I gave in (pretty easily). And I’m so glad I did, because not only did it feature the original holiday classic but also taught my children a little bit about Hanukkah (In the Month of Kisley), Kwanzaa (Seven Candles for Kwanzaa) and a Hispanic Christmas dinner (Too Many Tamales). A little culture at Christmas time is a really good thing!

To wrap up this review, we also had a chance to watch a new DVD from Shout! Factory, Jane and the Dragon: A Dragon’s Tale. The DVD is a compilation of the first five episodes from the TV show, and if you haven’t seen Jane and the Dragon, then you’re missing out, especially if you have little girls. In this kingdom, girls are raised to be ladies-in-waiting, but not Jane. This 12-year-old rescues the prince from a ferocious dragon (he’s really not that ferocious) and is granted permission by the king to train as a knight’s apprentice. Her new friend, Dragon, is the perfect sidekick. I love his humor! The series showcases some pretty awesome 3D animation and every story so far has had a nice moral to it. It’s one of the few Saturday cartoons worth watching.

Quality children’s programming is hard to find on TV; the same goes for movies. Consider gifting your children one or two Scholastic Storybook Treasures or a Shout! Factory DVD this holiday season. Remember Where the Wild Things Are—classic stories stand the test of time. —Emily

My children always look forward to a Scholastic review because it means another DVD or two full of their favorite stories, and the most recent DVDs don’t disappoint.

Diary of a Spider…and More Cute Critter Stories title story features one of my children’s favorite books, Diary of a Spider, the sequel to the popular (and another Hill favorite) Diary of a Worm. The story is one of the few I can read—and watch—over and over again. The award-winning animated adaptation is engaging and of course the humor in the story is great for kids and adults alike. The DVD features more critter stories with Scholastic’s wonderful Read-Along option: Roberto the Insect Architect, Norman the Doorman, The Mysterious Tadpole and The Story of the Dancing Frog.

Corduroy…and More Stories About Caring brings the much-loved character from the classical storybook to life. On this DVD the title story is an animated adaptation of the original Corduroy, which tells the story of Corduroy’s search for his missing button in hopes it will help his being purchased and taken home. The story uses both live action and stop-motion animation. When the story first started I had to clue in my kids about the lovable bear, and because it started out in a dimly lit department store with a “live” teddy bear, they asked if it were a scary story. But I quickly put their fears to rest, as did the story itself, and the proceeded to watch it and the other features quite a few times that afternoon. The DVD also includes six other stories.

My children have thoroughly enjoyed their Scholastic DVDs and I have enjoyed their watching something other than Nick toons and Playhouse Disney. And if you have a preschooler at home you’ll definitely want to pick up a few of these DVDs; the Read Along feature is wonderful for beginning readers.—Emily

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