Uniquely You: Exploring Your Child’s Extraordinarily Distinctive Design

In this new book, author, parenting advocate, and professional mom Sally Clarkson teams with her son Nathan to discuss God’s divine design in creating each person with his or her own DNA and characteristics. Their premise is that each person within the traditional family structure deserves to be accepted, affirmed, and loved regardless of his or her particularities. The Clarksons help parents and their children delve into several different dimensions of personhood and personality so that they can discover and “live into” their best selves. Each person God creates has his or her own story to tell and his or her own way to tell it.

This book is intriguing because both the writers take adequate space to present their differing perspectives on the themes introduced. Sally Clarkson shares her unique experiences from the perspective of a former homeschool mom who takes significant joy in having raised four beautifully distinct, wholehearted children. Nathan Clarkson shares his unique experiences from the perspective of one of the children who grew up in the Clarkson home while facing the often daunting circumstances of learning disabilities and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Although he is now a successful author, screenwriter, and actor, his path has not been an easy one. He lauds his parents for taking the time to know him and appreciate him. He notes both his parents did their best to nurture and delight in him (and his three equally unique siblings).

In the Clarkson way of knowing and appreciating those within your family structure, some things are universal, and many others are not. This book is a useful guide; it’s not intended to be a parenting manual since there is no one “surefire method” of raising a healthy family. The Clarksons were homeschoolers in the very early years of the homeschool movement, and not all their methods of educating their children were conventional or readily known. They borrowed from psychology, research, and popular literature to find things that were appropriate and helpful in their specific context. This book expands upon that context in hopes of assisting others. Some learning tools mentioned include personality tests, Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, and Gary Chapman’s well-known five love languages.

The language and format of this book are straightforward; the examples are practical and engaging. The themes are instructive without being rocket science. Each chapter ends with a series of open-ended questions that promote thought, understanding, and action. This book provides a flexible and accessible alternative to one-size-fits-all parenting and education. (Moody Publishers)