Raising A Princess by John Croyle, Book review

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: B&H Books (May 1, 2014)
• ISBN-13: 978-1433680731

SYNOPSIS:

The Bible’s frequently referenced chapter of Proverbs 31 defines godly womanhood. In Raising a Princess, greatly respected child advocate John Croyle asks, "How do you equip a daughter to become the kind of woman who is described in Proverbs 31?" 

After all, a woman like that doesn't appear out of nowhere. Somebody taught her to rise before dawn to provide for her household. Somebody gave her the moral compass to reach out her hand to the needy. Somebody taught her the business principles that made it possible for her to consider a field and buy it. Perhaps most importantly, somebody gave her a sufficiently strong sense of self that made it possible for her to go out and make a huge impact on the world around her. 

Raising a Princess begins with the end in mind. The end is the Proverbs 31 woman; Croyle keeps her squarely in view as he looks at what parenting techniques help the reader to raise a princess who will someday be a queen. 

My Thoughts:

A fascinating book I only wish had been written when we were raising our own daughter!

John Croyle, founder of Big Oak Ranch refers to chapter 31 of Proverbs as to best explain his personal philosophy for raising a Christian daughter.
With years of experience in dealing with abused and neglected children, John explains the acronym P.R.I.N.C.E.S.S exemplifies the 8 virtues which he personally feels are essential in teaching a daughter of Christ.

Praiseworthiness – A princess understands she is worthy of praise simply because she is made in the image of God.

Righteousness – She lives according to God’s normal, not the world’s normal.

Initiative – A princess makes good things happen.

Nurture – God built into girls and women an instinct for nurture that boys and men simply don’t have in the same way.

Character – A girl of character knows what her deepest desires are and chooses accordingly.

Empowerment – Your princess needs to understand life isn’t just something that happens to her. She has the power to choose.

Servant-Heartedness – A princess finds purpose not in being served, but serving others.

Stability – As stability is provided for daughters, they will grow into the kind of people who help create stability for others.

Like most parents we want to shelter our daughters from cultural dangers (and there are many of those these days!) which seems determined to turn our precious girls into Barbie dolls! 
We cannot keep them from making mistakes but we can help them to learn from these and be the supportive parents Christ wants us to be.

Through examples and Scripture references, John reminds us that our children need to see us also stretch ourselves, try things that we are not necessarily good at and that we are not God!
It is important for them to see failure happens, the lesson learned is what matters and that God has a purpose for them. 
Best of all, we should not focus on our own agenda for them. Instead we should be in touch with their interests and understand what drives them. 
I loved to read the author's advice to other parents: "As parents we are in a unique position of being our daughter's dream maker or dream taker!"
Bravo!!

An excellent book to read for anyone blessed with a little girl and an ideal gift for any new parent!

5 Stars!

Note: John Croyle has books on boys as well!

The Two-minute Drill to Manhood a Proven Game Plan for Raising Sons 
Bringing Out the Winner in Your Child: The Building Blocks of Successful Parenting

About the Author:

John Croyle rose to recognition as an All-American defensive end at the University of Alabama during head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's legendary tenure. Faced with the decision to play professional football or to start a home for abused and neglected children, John established Big Oak Boys' Ranch in 1974. 

Today the outreach has grown to three branches with the addition of a girls ranch and a Christian school. John, his wife Tee, and the Big Oak organization have raised more than 1,800 kids to date.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from  B&H Publishing Group as part of the book's promotion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.