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Let Them Be Kids. Adventure, Boredom, Innocence, and Other Gifts Children Need By: Jessica Smartt

Let them be Kids has been a book on my to-read list for a while. I was thrilled to have recently found the book online through an audio format, which allowed me to easily read (listen to) the book. It can be hard to find time to read a book so I decided to try an audiobook format. I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I was able to finish this book, and how much I enjoyed it in audio format. The summary on the back of the book states that:

Although not a Christian book, the author is Christian and does bring her beliefs into the book. Jessica does a wonderful job bringing Christ into her reasons for their family choices, without her beliefs being in your face. This book would be great for Christians and non-Christians alike. It would be a fun mom group book study! Her conversational attitude makes this book approachable to those of us who don’t have tons of time to read (like many moms). It is an easy read and feels like you are sitting at a coffee shop having a cup of coffee with Jessica, not reading a book.

Let Them Be Kids, opens our eyes to look at childhood as a fun process that we as parents need to encourage. Often in society today we rush our kids to the next phase or allow them to spend un seeming amounts of time being entertained by something. Jessica brings up managing video games, television, sleepovers, play dates, outside play, and more. For new parents, it is a great encouragement that we do not need to fantasize or try to become “the Instagram mom”. That our kid’s childhood can be different than what media and businesses tell us it needs to be. I also appreciated the easy guide format of this book. Each chapter touches on different subjects giving practical tips and even glimpses into what Jessica’s family does with specific lists.

As a mom of 4 kids, I appreciated reading a book that aligned with some of our family values. It was nice to read about families that don’t have a ton of media time, and similar policies on sleepovers, friends, and cell phones. If you are a new mom, it is a great book to calm your mind about doing all the right things. If you are an experienced mom, this was a good read to reinforce and give new ideas for things you may already be doing.

One negative I would say about the book is that at the time written, Jessica does not have children in her teens. I would much prefer to read a book about childhood from a parent who has encountered the teen years and is able to see a bit more long-term fruit. But other than that, this was a great refreshing read and reminder to let our kids be kids and to not over schedule, or over-entertain them.

If you are interested in purchasing the book you can do that Here. Be sure to check your local library as I was able to find that ours carried this book. If you are looking at doing this as a book study with a moms group, I encourage you to check out Down the Hobbit Hole to see some discussion questions she has for the chapters.