Authors: Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson

Subtitle:

Helping Them Understand Loss, Sin, Tragedies, and Other Hard Topics

The Honest, Loving Answers Children Need to Hear

What should you say when your five-year-old asks about his dying grandma? Or when your seven-year-old wonders if the devil is real? Or when the sixth graders in your Sunday school class are talking about a tragedy they heard about on the news? When it comes to the dark and tragic aspects of our world, it can be hard to know what to say and how much.

Mother/daughter team Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson will carefully walk you through difficult conversations, one topic at a time. Speaking from personal experience, informed by child development research, these two moms offer practical insights and age-appropriate guidance.

Talking about tough topics may not be as hard as you think, and, more important, you'll see how these conversations can lead to meaningful discussions of God's unchanging goodness.

About the authors:

Elyse Fitzpatrick is a nationally sought after speaker and author, speaking at such events as The Gospel Coalition and Nancy Leigh DeMoss's Revive Conference. Along with her husband, Phil, Elyse is a member of Valley Center Community Church, a reformed congregation in the community of Valley Center. VCCC is a member of FIRE, the Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals.

She holds a certificate in biblical counseling from CCEF (San Diego) and an M.A. in Biblical Counseling from Trinity Theological Seminary. She has authored numerous books on daily living and the Christian life.

Elyse has been married for over thirty years and has three adult children and grandchildren. Learn more at www.elysefitzpatrick.com.

Jessica Thompson grew up in Southern California, the second child of Phil and Elyse Fitzpatrick. After graduation from high school, she completed a Bachelor's Degree in Theology and married Cody Thompson. The Lord has blessed Cody and Jessica with three children: Wesley, Hayden and Allie, whom she homeschools. Together they serve at Westview Church, an Acts 29 church plant in north San Diego County. When not homeschooling, Jessica is a regular speaker at conferences. 

In 2010, Jessica and Elyse collaborated on the book, Give them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus.

Endorsements:

I love this book! I will recommend it again and again. It is street-level theology for children that drips with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Parents, read it, live with it, share it daily with your children, and not only will they learn and grow, you will, too.  ~Paul David Tripp, president, Paul Tripp Ministries

Martin Luther once said he measured his ability as a preacher by his ability to communicate the gospel to the young. This book is filled with such gospel truth, so simply articulated. No one has helped me connect the gospel to parenting more than Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson.  ~J. D. Greear, PhD, author of Ready to Launch: Jesus-Centered Parenting in a Child-Centered World and Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart

As a mother of seven children who range in age from toddler to adult, I'm always interested in grace-filled, Bible-based answers to the tough questions of this life. Elyse and Jessica do a beautiful job of balancing truth with grace, while offering parents practical, solid answers to topics that many parents cringe over. I'll be looking at this great guide again and again, not because it contains all the answers, but because the authors humbly point parents back to the only source of truth that's ever existed: the Bible.  ~Heidi St. John, author and speaker

These hard questions aren't random--children wonder about these issues, and they impact our everyday lives. Now talking about these questions doesn't have to be overwhelming for lack of resources. I'm so thankful for Elyse and Jessica's hard work, precision, and focus on Christ in this book.  ~Gloria Furman, author of Glimpses of Grace and Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full

Jessica and Elyse have done it again--offering the good news of the gospel to moms and dads overwhelmed by their inadequacy. This is a scripturally rooted and profoundly wise guide for parents who desire to weave gospel truths into the answers to their kids' toughest questions. I highly recommend this book. It takes the pressure off of parents to have all the perfect answers, reveals the radical nature of God's grace, and weaves the 'scarlet thread of redemption' through every answer.  ~Jeannie Cunnion, MSW, author of Parenting the Wholehearted Child

Elyse and Jessica have written a must-have book for parents and those involved with ministry to children. It provides helpful, gracious, wise, and faithful answers to some of the most difficult questions children can ask about the Christian faith. My wife and I use this book with our daughters, and we are thankful for the work that went into it and the heart behind it.  ~Justin S. Holcomb, Episcopal priest, seminary professor, and coauthor of Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault and Is It My Fault? Hope and Healing for Those Suffering Domestic Violence

When I have a tough parenting question, Elyse and Jessica are my go-to friends--not because they have it all together, but because I know that their wisdom will be driven by none other than the gospel. This book is just what I need, and it's just what you need, too!  ~Kimm Crandall, mother of four and author of Christ in the Chaos: How the Gospel Changes Motherhood