Renae Kelly has a bachelor's degree and Master of Science degree in Accounting, and is a licensed CPA with over 20 years of experience. She lives in the south suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two daughters.
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Reviewed by Amy Louise Hill for Readers’ Favorite
Parenting Chronicles: Real Talk: Lessons Learned by Renae Kelly provides parenting advice. If you have ever wished for a guide on how to be a parent then your wish may have just come true. Kelly has created a guide based on real-life experience that could help you with the many challenges you face daily as a parent. Kelly covers just about everything so that you may move forward with more confidence. Whether you have several children or are just starting the journey and don't know who to turn to with your burning questions, then I suggest purchasing a copy of this book. I assure you that you won't be disappointed with the outcome. Parenting Chronicles is a highly detailed guide to aid parents in doing their work of parenting. Becoming a parent is in my near future, and rest assured I will have this incredibly useful work on hand when I do. There is so much information packed into it, covering all topics, and I feel that the author left no stone unturned. Renae Kelly has kept her book honest and real, as she describes her feelings when dealing with diverse situations, making it that much more relatable. I feel this will also offer the reader reassurance and comfort during their own experiences. This is a great guide, and I'm glad I had the pleasure of reviewing it.
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Reviewed by Sefina Hawke for Readers’ Favorite
Parenting Chronicles (Real Talk: Lessons Learned) by Renae Kelly is a non-fiction child parenting book that would appeal most to a diverse audience of parents, those expecting or already having a child, and those wanting to become parents. Parenting is a growth process for both parents and kids which always comes with bad days and good days. When it comes to parenting, Renae discovered the importance of establishing a good foundation, managing emotions, and addressing issues straight on. Renae shares her experiences as a new parent, whose spouse had already raised children, and her philosophy and experience for handling the good days and the bad days. Parenting Chronicles (Real Talk: Lessons Learned) by Renae Kelly is a well-written parenting book that showcases and teaches how parenting is a growth process for not just parents, but also children. I personally really liked how the author made it abundantly clear that no one is perfect, mistakes will happen, and that parenting can at times feel frustrating. The author did not write a textbook on parenting or a step-by-step guide, but rather a book filled with lessons and experiences she gained from being a parent. As a psychology graduate, I found the book’s acknowledgment of the frustration involved in parenting to be refreshing as it provides an honest picture of what parenting can be - the good, the bad, and the frustrating. Overall, I found that this book has given me a better understanding of parenting and I feel it should be recommended to all new and expecting parents.
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Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers’ Favorite
Renae Kelly’s book title is self-explanatory, as it immediately gives you an idea of what you can learn from this book. In Parenting Chronicles: Real Talk the author shares her real-life experiences in parenting. Like most new parents, she searched for and used reference material about the parenting experience to assume her new role to the best of her ability. Many questions arose that she found difficult to answer. Having two biological children of her own became instrumental in opening herself to real talk about the challenging and sometimes frustrating experiences that go with parenting. Topics of concern include sibling relationships, bullying, communication, gadget use, peer criticism, discipline, and education covered here in a straightforward and honest presentation. Being single, I couldn't help but come up with questions of my own as I read the book. How difficult is it to raise children? Did parents of previous generations have it easier and how do parents help their children stay connected? Renae Kelly’s experience affirms that parenting has always been a demanding job, and the changing landscape of the family as it evolved with time makes it even more so today. The sincerity of her words reassures parents out there that they are not alone in their journey. There is no such thing as the holy grail of perfect parenting, as it does not exist. Teaching children to cultivate good habits doesn’t happen overnight, and Kelly credits the power of prayer as an important factor in her parenting style. Whether or not religion plays a vital aspect in your child-raising philosophy, reading another parent’s experience can prove to be a handy reference. Parenting Chronicles doesn’t promise that you will become a perfect parent, but it does offer important lessons from a hands-on source.
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Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
Parenting can be one of the most difficult jobs in any person's life. Renae Kelly was no exception to this when she got married to a man who had already experienced parenting. With Parenting Chronicles: Real Talk, she draws on her own experience as a parent to help new parents deal with the challenges and everyday struggles that come with the territory of raising children. Kelly goes through every aspect of parenting using real-life anecdotes of how she and her husband navigated various issues around their kids. With keen insight and valuable examples, she offers ways to help parents become the best version of themselves, including affirming their children when they do the right thing, building sibling relationships, communicating, teaching conversational behavior, and much more. No parents are going to be right a hundred percent of the time. After all, we are all humans, prone to mistakes. Renae Kelly's Parenting Chronicles gives readers valuable insights and helpful advice on minimizing those mistakes to form an ideal parent-child relationship that helps them grow into compassionate and mature individuals who lead fulfilling lives. Kelly touches upon almost every angle of parenthood, offering readers step-by-step guidelines on how to deal with bullying by peers, exposure to inappropriate material, confrontation, and other such issues. There will be periods when nothing seems to work, and you feel as if your talk is falling on deaf ears, but patience and perseverance are critical. Recommended to anyone who is a parent.
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Reviewed by Courtnee Turner Hoyle for Readers’ Favorite
Renae Kelly speaks openly about the challenges many parents and caregivers face in her book, Parenting Chronicles, sub-titled Real Talk: Lessons Learned. Written as a series of personal journal entries, Kelly takes her readers through the day-to-day challenges and successes of rearing children. The author focuses on her observations of her children, giving practical advice from her personal experience. Parenting Chronicles contains a plethora of real-life examples. I learned a lot about the Kelly household and its parenting style and I identified with several of the situations. Two patterns are repeated in the book: the author’s reliance on God to help and strengthen her and the support of her husband. One could argue that a strong spiritual connection and a partner’s unwavering support are crucial to consistently providing emotional, mental, and physical care for children. Renae Kelly focuses on her relationship with God as she describes the way she has chosen to parent her children, including prayer. The book has everyday applications for parents and caregivers, and the entries can be used to comfort other parents who are experiencing similar situations. The examples in the book may also be used as advice to parents before their child enters the period before the tween years. I recommend Kelly’s book to parents and caregivers with children between the ages of five and twelve years old, as it may help them prepare for difficult topics and enable them to make more informed decisions on the best way to handle them.