So How Do I Parent This Child?

Parents don't determine who their kids become. They steward them into who they're meant to be. One of the most common myths in parenting books--you see it everywhere--is that parents are responsible for who their children turn out to be. Proper input yields proper output, or so the thinking goes. But that mindset works with machinery, not people. The truth is, your child has a unique set of traits--their giftedness--that only they possess. The parent's job isn't to crank out a product, but to point an individual human being toward a healthy, flourishing life. In So How Do I Parent THIS Child?, brother and sister duo Bill Hendricks and Bev Hendricks Godby team up to help you understand the difference between producing a product and parenting a person. They take you through all the stages of child rearing--from diapers to driver's licenses to diplomas--to give you a comprehensive look at how identifying giftedness and helping your children discover it for themselves makes all the difference. As a parent, you've got a lot of challenges ahead. But with intentionality and an individualized approach, you'll see your kids grow up to become the mature and confident adults that they're intended to be.

About the Author :
BILL HENDRICKS is cofounder and president of The Global Centre for Giftedness, which resources a worldwide movement aimed at unleashing people's giftedness, for human flourishing. Bill also serves as the Executive Director for Christian Leadership at The Hendricks Center, a leadership development initiative at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the author of numerous books and other resources, including The Person Called YOU and So How Do I Parent THIS Child?, both available from Moody Publishers. Bill holds degrees from Harvard University, Boston University, and Dallas Theological Seminary, and is currently a doctoral student at Bakke Graduate University. He is married to Lynn Turpin Hendricks and is the father of three grown daughters. BEV GODBY is a senior associate and change management coach at The Giftedness Center in Dallas, Texas. She focuses on graduating students and women who are navigating challenging life transitions. She feels called to the role of an educator, teaching others about giftedness to help them find fulfilling lives. She serves as a consultant to schools and nonprofit organizations, and speaks and writes often on these topics. Bev holds degrees from Wheaton College and The University of Texas at Dallas. She is married to Dr. Dale Godby, with whom she has three married daughters and six grandchildren.

Review :
Praise for So How Do I Parent THIS Child? "It's funny, but what often annoys you the most about your child might just be their giftedness simply pushed to an extreme. The point is, when you look at your children through the proper lens, what often wants to bring the worst out of you suddenly becomes an opportunity for you to bring the best out of them. This new book by Hendricks and Godby shows you exactly how to figure out your child's unique giftedness and then harness it for their greater joy and everybody else's good." --TIM KIMMEL Author of Grace-Based Parenting "My wife and I have been the direct beneficiaries of both the knowledge and practice of the phenomenon of giftedness, and we wholeheartedly endorse this book. It's fully practical and should be required reading for every parent, grandparent, and godparent looking to influence their child's life development. Thank you, Bill and Bev. You have blessed us immensely with this one!" --EVAN & STACIE NICOLE SIMMONS President & Vice President, One in Christ Jesus International Ministries "As an administrator of a school for more than thirty years, I would place this book on my must-read to every parent and grandparent in my school. It's that important and insightful! This delightful book is like being on a treasure hunt and you find out that the treasure is YOU!" --MARY HELEN NOLAND Director of Admissions at Trinity Christian Academy "As a raving fan and former client of The Giftedness Center, So How Do I Parent THIS Child? answered my prayers as I've wanted to replicate my transformation to help my young daughter discover her unique giftedness pattern. This book gives me a blueprint to do just that!" --BAILEY HEARD "I began reading this book with the idea that it would help me be a better abuelita (grandmother) for baby Tatum. I know it will do that and much more because of my own search for purpose in my 'empty nest' stage of life. This is a great gift for parents, grandparents, and anyone working with children!" --ANNA REYES AGNEW Giftedness Center client, friend, and new abuelita "Bev and Bill show us how to foster proven competence in our children instead of defaulting to the mediocre world of participation trophies found in today's society. I thought kids arrived without owner's manuals. Turns out it was right there in plain sight, but in a different language that I couldn't read--until now!" --NEWT FARRAR "This is a precious resource, especially for us as parents of a son with complex and long-term medical conditions. It helps us to look beyond his needs and discover and affirm his unique giftedness, intended to bless this world." --ANDREW AND JEANNETTE FENG "Therapists, students, educators, and certainly parents will find themselves benefiting from having their perspectives broadened by the unique approach of this book. No longer will the question be, 'What's wrong with this/my child?' but rather, each person who hopes to play a significant role in a young person's life will be challenged to ask, 'What is right about this/my child?' As a therapist and counselor educator specializing in child development, this book caused me to pause and reflect on the bents of each of my own children. This resource will be a valuable tool as I train future counselors. It brings freedom in normalizing differences and celebrates the beautiful gifts in each child." --ANDI THACKER Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling, Dallas Theological Seminary "Bill and Bev's work in human giftedness has been instrumental in our passion of mentoring young adults. Now these universal truths are brought to life for parents in this groundbreaking work of how to raise children within the framework of abilities and joy." --BILL BOGART AND KIT CASE Case & Bogart, LLC "What an insightful and thought-provoking book! I wish I had been able to read it when my kids were young. I've never seen this in any of the parenting books I read." --JOHN ENGLISH Founder, Bethesda Medical Clinic "This is a great book! The practical application of understanding and honoring giftedness in our children makes this a must-read for every parent. And dads especially need this in their toolbox. Love your child! Read this book!" --ALEX VASQUEZ "As a dedicated mom and classroom teacher of my own children, I thought I really 'knew' them until I encountered the information in this book. The stories and insights in it are unlike anything you'll encounter in other parenting books. Discovering our children's giftedness proved to be pivotal in choosing their life's fulfilling work. Today, they know their purpose and where their energy and giftedness should be applied for making a meaningful and fulfilling impact." --LYNDA MARTIN "I'm going to need an endless supply of So How Do I Parent THIS Child? to give out to friends. I once took Bill to coffee to ask him how I could start supporting my elementary-age son, Caleb, and what you'll find in this book is what Bill shared with me--practical principles that will be a blessing to any family." --KAT ARMSTRONG Cofounder, The Polished Network Author of No More Holding Back and The In-Between Place "Sometimes we say we are standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before. This is definitely a must-read that stands on the heart of those who have gone before! Bill and Bev have blown through decades of old, cliché parenting advice and brought us a fresh perspective on raising our kids based on biblical wisdom and a child's particular giftedness. It doesn't surprise me a bit that this great resource is born from the incredible legacy of Howard ('Prof') and Jeanne Hendricks." --GREG HATTEBERG Executive Director of Alumni Services, Dallas Theological Seminary "Two generations of our family have benefited from the wisdom of Bill Hendricks and Bev Godby in helping all of us discover our unique giftedness. As a family, we hope our experience of learning to understand the way God designed each of us with core strengths and natural motivations will become yours, as well, through this book. 'Giftedness is not just what you can do, but what you are born to do, enjoy doing, and do well.'" --FRED SMITH JR. Founder, The Gathering "Bill and Bev have 'gifted' to us a powerful tool that helps our children understand how their lives matter. I owe a debt of gratitude to Bill for helping me discover at fifty my unique giftedness, and now I have a method to pass that gift on to my children and grandchildren. This book and The Person Called You are two of the most important books you could ever read!" --DAVID W. BALL, MD Internal Medicine "Another book on parenting? Yes, but whereas most books on child development leave parents with a cloud of guilt and a few pointers on crowd control and how to send the little urchins down the assembly line, the magic of this book is that it teaches parents to study their child and point them in the direction of the person God intended them to be--giving them a lifelong vision for their unique role in this world." --BEN ALBRITTON Psychologist "No matter the situation, that little one you hold happens to be a declarative statement of 'Yes, this is meant to be.' All of it--this child, exactly as they are made, and you the parent, with everything you have and are, as well as everything you don't have and aren't--is joined together in a narrative of purpose that has been planned from eternity and is beginning to live itself out right here, right now before your very eyes. What a privilege to be chosen to participate in the revelation of such a promise!" --DONNA WEBER "The scales have fallen from my eyes! I now am beginning to see AND understand the ways in which my kids are GIFTED with wonderful abilities, talents, and capabilities that MOTIVATE them. These customized PATTERNS are the road map to their thriving and contentment. Bev and Bill, thank you for this incredible, easy-to-understand and apply book. I needed this twenty years ago!" --TIM WEBER "Several members of our family have worked with Bill and Bev to discover their giftedness, and through that their purpose and calling. Now they are giving parents a way to begin that discovery process at home, and from their children's earliest years. The insights gained from giftedness have made such a difference for our family. I know it can do the same for yours." --ROBERT AND MAGGIE MURCHISON "I have long admired the authors of this book and I am so pleased that siblings, Bill Hendricks and Bev Godby, have written this most insightful book. Their dad, the late Professor Howard Hendricks, would be so proud of them. In So How Do I Parent THIS Child?, they skillfully portray the uniqueness in each child's 'giftedness.' This book's call to understand and embrace that 'giftedness' is an invitation for parents to be sharpened in how they raise their children, ultimately so that each child may be all that God desires for them to be. The wisdom that they impart will be helpful for all Christian parents who want to train up their children in the way that they should go." --GARY COOK Chancellor and former president, Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, TX "So How Do I Parent THIS Child? achieves a rare feat: it is both a practical guide for parenting and a map for understanding my own giftedness and motivation." --STEVE RAMSEUR Corporate Executive "Bill and Bev Hendricks have made their life's work the study of giftedness--helping thousands discover how they were uniquely created to live and flourish in the world. In So How do I Parent THIS Child? Bill and Bev lay out the tools parents need to uncover the wonder of their child's giftedness. I'd give this book to any parent eager to shepherd their child toward a life rich with purpose and meaning." --PEGGY WEHMEYER Reporter for ABC News