Raising Uncommon Kids by Sami Cone {book review}

We live in a day and age that celebrates individuality and accomplishment.  Most parents would be happy if their kids had traits that made them uncommon, right?

Some great characteristics may come to mind.  Valedictorian or a sports superstar?  Musical prodigy or masterful writer?  Hysterical comedian or suave public speaker?

What about uncommonly kind and selfless?

That may not be the most celebrated way to be uncommon, but it is such an important and worthy goal in raising kids and passing on the right characteristics to the next generation.

Sami Cone explores this topic in her book “Raising Uncommon Kids: 12 Biblical Traits You Need to Raise Selfless Kids.”  Thank you to Baker Books for providing a free copy of the book to facilitate my honest review.

Raising Uncommon Kids is available at Amazon (affiliate link).

I was immediately intrigued from the description on the back of the book.

The greatest lesson we teach our kids isn’t anything we say – it’s what we do.

Many parents are surprised to discover just how little we’re actually modeling the behaviors we hope to pass on – qualities such as unconditional love, gentleness, forgiveness, patience, gratitude, humility, and more.

This unique book offers a fresh way to look at molding your children: by focusing more on adding good behaviors than on eliminating bad ones.

Using the Bible passage of Colossians 3:12-17 as her guide, Sami Cone focuses on 12 characteristics to foster in ourselves and our children. These traits are addressed in three sections:

  • Your Heart at Home – with chapters on love, harmony, gentleness, and bearing with one another
  • Your Attitude Toward Others – with chapters on forgiveness, wisdom, patience, and kindness
  • Your Influence in the World – with chapters on gratitude, peace, humility, and compassion

The book is not designed as a how-to for managing the behavior of children, but rather a look at what parents should be modeling and shaping in their kids.  As the introduction says, “You may be looking for a quick fix for your kids: I’m here to coach you in paying a little less attention to their behavior and spending a little more time evaluating your own.”

As I read this book, I was continually thinking about areas where I need to exhibit better leadership for my kids in my actions and not just my words.  The book was a gentle challenge for me to step up and be a better mom and a better Christian in order to be a better influence on my kids.

I use the term “gentle challenge” because the book was not at all overbearing or preachy in addressing the principles that we should be modeling as parents and molding in our kids.  It very effectively uses real-world examples and examines Bible passages to discuss each topic.

“Raising Uncommon Kids” has practical ideas woven into the text, with additional ideas listed at the end of each chapter to put the principle of the chapter into motion.  It’s a helpful resource to spark action in practicing Biblical traits as a family.

Thank you to Baker Books for providing a complimentary copy of “Raising Uncommon Kids: 12 Biblical Traits You Need to Raise Selfless Kids” by Sami Cone to facilitate my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

This post contains affiliate links, which help support this site.  Please refer to my disclosure statement for more information about affiliate links.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.