PRESS KIT:
Discipleship Parenting
Author Biography
SHORT BIO
Kim Cameron-Smith explores the intersection between Catholicism and parenting at Intentional Catholic Parenting on the Gentle Catholic Parenting Podcast. She holds a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, and a J.D. from U.C. Berkeley. Kim lives in Northern California with her husband and four children.
LONG BIO
Kim Cameron-Smith is the founder of the Intentional Catholic Parenting online ministry and the host of the Gentle Catholic Parenting Podcast, where she explores the intersection between Catholicism and the science of parenting Her understanding of what it means to be an intentional Catholic parent continually grows and evolves as she learns more about her children, herself, and how God has created us to find him in all things, especially relationships. Kim is a trusts and estates attorney. She received a B.A. in English from Wellesley College, an M.Phil. in Medieval Literature from Oxford University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, and a J.D. from U.C. Berkeley. She lives in Northern California with her husband Philip and their four children. You can find her at kimcameronsmith.com.
Discipleship Parenting (2020)
Interview Questions (more questions available)
- You encourage parents to be “disciple parents.” What does this mean?
- What do you think are the biggest obstacles to passing on the Faith to children today?
- In your book, you reveal that you left the Faith as a teenager, then you returned later as an adult. When you became a mother, did your experience influence the way you practiced Catholicism in your home? Do you think most kids who leave nowadays will eventually return like you did?
- Your book is built around what you call “the 7 building blocks of a joyful Catholic home”? How did you arrive at this particular list of factors that might nourish the seeds of faith in children?
- Some parenting books set such high standards in the relationship between parents and their children that real life parents feel overwhelmed. They feel like they could never measure up. How can we have high standards for ourselves as parents without feeling defeated before we begin?
Pull Quotes
- “In collaboration with Christ through grace, our deepest purpose is to become disciple-parents, to evangelize our children so that they become disciples themselves.”
- “A child’s first relationships in his family are foundational for his openness to the love of God, and for his continued spiritual growth throughout life. What’s even more extraordinary is that it’s through living together as a family that Christ continues to form us all as his disciples — not just the children, but parents, too.”
- “What are the ideal growing conditions to nourish the seeds of faith in our homes, so that those seeds can germinate and become strong enough to survive the harsher conditions beyond our doors? . . . This book provides my answers to that question.”
Author Plugs
- This book doesn’t create a new end goal; it creates a new starting place for families. Parents have always been called to evangelize their kids. Today, particular cultural shifts have made it harder to transmit our Faith to the next generation, so we need a new game plan to reach our goal. We have to start by strengthening and protecting the connection and trust between ourselves and our children, especially as they mature.
- I affirm in this book the essential role of parents as leaders in their homes. If our children won’t follow us, we can’t lead them. If we can’t lead them, we will never evangelize them. We have to inspire our children to follow us, as Christ inspired his disciples to follow him. Our children must know that we are their best bets in the world; they have to be willing to lean us so we can take them where they need to go.
- In this book, I share my perspective as a person who came to parenting with old wounds that still needed healing. I want parents to know that they don’t have to be perfect to raise emotionally healthy, spiritually vibrant children. We can give our children what we don’t have ourselves, and in that process, we grow toward greater emotional and spiritual peace. God parents us through our parenting.
“Kim Cameron-Smith presents a wonderful model for parenting that allows moms and dads to be true mentors to their children. She offers practical, faithful suggestions that will help parents capture their children’s hearts and bring them to God.”
“Kim Cameron-Smith’s Discipleship Parenting: Planting the Seeds of Faith provides simple, straightforward, realistic advice that helps us go from surviving to thriving, all while keeping our eyes focused on Christ. If we want to find the building blocks for raising a truly beautiful domestic church in today’s tumultuous world, this is the book that’s going to get us going.”