when our first son was born, we were living in a close community of friends who were also transitioning into the world of parenting. All of us were deeply yearning for a trustworthy roadmap for that joyful but sometimes harrowing journey. It soon became clear that, for a person of faith earnestly looking for sound advice on raising children, our options were limited. As a child clinical psychologist, Jeffrey began compiling helpful tools to share with us and his clients, and also to create resources that integrated sound knowledge of child development with Christian faith. For years he’s been pouring over parenting books, scientific research, and scripture with equal passion.

Now further along in our journey as parents to three children, we can say that living at the intersection of science and faith has brought life and hope not only to our family but to the many other parents and children Jeffrey has worked with over the past two decades. We’ve seen scripture illuminate and underscore scientific discovery, and we’ve found that understanding our kids’ wiring has revolutionized our relationship with them.

That said, we haven’t found parenting to be easy or clean-cut. In fact, it’s been quite a bumpy, messy ride. But that’s life. That’s humanness. And knowing the needs our kids were designed to have and how we can speak to those needs helps. It really does.

We hope the resources we’re sharing and creating will serve you well. We offer them to you humbly, as we have nothing mastered. Neither will you. And that’s ok. That may even be the point. It’s a process, not an outcome we’re aiming for.


And so let the intersection of science and faith lead you to this place first: choose to have a vision of parenting that is committed to seeing your child as a person in their own right, equal before God and unfolding alongside you. Allow yourself to breathe and release the idea that there is a wrong or a right way to parent. Instead, let’s offer our hopes and dreams and worries for our kids up to the God who holds them. The God of the wild and the wilderness, a God who is constantly calling us back to each other and on to love — a love that will not let any one of us go.

Jeffrey Olrick, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with children and families. After earning his M.Ed. and Ph.D. at the University of Virginia, Dr. Olrick now has over twenty years of experience in a variety of settings, including residential treatment, the public school system, community mental health and private practice.

Amy Olrick is an author and human rights advocate whose work and writing has been featured in The Guardian and USA Today.