“I didn’t feel like I could take advice from you!”

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 2, 2021  |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I got this email from a follower recently and it encouraged me so much that I asked if I could share it with you all…

Dear Crystal,

I have read and looked forward to your daily MSM email every night for the last few years and I have read two of your previous books. It has really helped me save a lot of money over the years and I really appreciate what you do.

I Had No Interest in Reading Your Book

I want to be honest with you, though. I had absolutely no interest in reading your new book, Love-Centered Parenting, when you talked about it in your emails.

My only child is on the autism spectrum, just graduated high school last year and recently turned 20 years old. I felt like you had nothing to offer me when it came to parenting advice and I also felt like I was “done” with needing parenting books since my son was 20 years old.

I Didn’t Feel Like I Could Take Advice From You

I also didn’t feel like I could take advice from someone who to me seemed “perfect” with perfect kids, a perfect marriage and just in general seemed to have the perfect life.

But then I saw you post about a tv interview and was able to watch it and I was absolutely shocked that one of your children was labeled a bully several years ago. I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

I am VERY familiar with psych hospitals as my son was in and out of them several times when he was younger and my heart truly went out to you. I have a trial of Scribd this month so I decided, what could it hurt, I will listen to your book.

Your Book Was Not At All What I Expected

I binge-listened for the past 3 days and just finished. I now have FIFTY TWO bookmarks that I have to go re-listen to and write notes.

It was SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD and not what I was expecting at all!!! You did a FABULOUS job and I know your Heavenly Father is incredibly proud of the book that you put out.

My son is not wired like me AT ALL and we argue so much because he wants to show me his electronics projects or whatever he is working on (hyper focus with high functioning autism) and I just get so bored and honestly don’t care about it sometimes.

He is so needy and needs my attention a lot and it’s overwhelming sometimes, but your book really made me think hard about the state of my heart and how I react to him.

I’m going to try hard to lean in and love and be thankful that he wants me to be so involved in his life. I am going to go grab a journal right now and start writing all of the nuggets of wisdom down before my trial ends in 2 days.

Thank you SO much for writing Love-Centered Parenting! And also I really think you sold yourself short at the beginning of the book when you said it was for parents of little ones. This is a book that ALL parents can learn from no matter what their age. – A grateful follower

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Reading letters like this makes me feel so humbled. I am so thankful for God is using the message of Love-Centered Parenting to change hearts and homes!

By the way, if you want to read or listen to a copy, it’s available on Scribd, Audiobooks.com, and most libraries have the hard copy or offer the audiobook on Libby or Hoopla. You can also get a copy on Amazon or ChristianBook.com.

photos from WordsWisdomWhitney, Bethany House Nonfiction, and GracefullyLivingNY