10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child's Soul - Softcover

Mimi Doe; Marsha F. Walch

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060952415 ISBN 13: 9780060952419

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 1998

Synopsis

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, how do we, as parents, honor the spirituality of our children? As we shuttle between school, soccer practice, piano lessons, ballet lessons, birthday parties, and doctors' appointments, how do we find the time to encourage our children, through the ups and downs of growing up, to turn to God for guidance?

In 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting, Mimi Doe and Marsha Walch open our eyes to the spontaneous, creative, freethinking joy that characterizes a child's innate spirituality. In ten easy-to-follow chapters containing exercises and practical suggestions, the authors point out that opportunities to express spirituality are abundant in our routine life. Talking at dinner, lighting candles, performing daily chores--all of these events have the potential to be sacred moments.

Contemporary parents face unique challenges: In our media-saturated culture, children are continually exposed to violence, cynicism, and a confusing code of ethics. By offering concrete ways to help children develop positive values, Mimi Doe and Marsha Walch support parents' efforts to counteract negative messages.

10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting is an invaluable guide for parents who yearn to help their children nurture a rich spirituality of their own.

About this title

About the Author

Minu Doe received her master's degree in education from Harvard. In addition to leading workshops on spiritual parenting, Doe is an award-winning television producer and is the cofounder of Pink Bubble Productions, a multimedia company dedicated to developing nonviolent, multicultural programming for children. Their first project, Concert in Angel-Land, aired on the ABC affiliate in Boston and is now available on home video. The coauthor of Drawing Angels Near: Children Tell of Angels in Words and Pictures, Mimi Doe lives in Concord, Massachusetts, with her husband and two young children.

In 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting, Mimi Doe and Marsha Walch open our eyes to the spontaneous, creative, freethinking joy that characterizes a child's innate spirituality. In ten easy-to-follow chapters containing exercises and practical suggestions, the authors point out that opportunities to express spirituality are abundant in our routine life. Talking at dinner, lighting candles, performing daily chores--all of these events have the potential to be sacred moments.

Contemporary parents face unique challenges: In our media-saturated culture, children are continually exposed to violence, cynicism, and a confusing code of ethics. By offering concrete ways to help children develop positive values, Mimi Doe and Marsha Walch support parents' efforts to counteract negative messages.

10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting is an invaluable guide for parents who yearn to help their children nurture a rich spirituality of their own.

Reviews

A mother and daughter team up to show that God is in the details of parenting. Daughter Doe (coauthor of Drawing Angels Near: Children Tell of Angels in Words and Pictures) and mother Walch, a psychotherapist, offer guidelines and suggestions to help parents fan the spark of their children's natural imagination into the flame of spirituality and belief in God. The authors break down the task into 10 chapters ranging from "Know That God Cares for You" and "Trust and Teach That All Life Is Connected and Has a Purpose" to more down-to-earth advice on listening to children and encouraging their dreams. "Use the example of a flashlight beam cutting through the darkness," they advise about achieving goals. Understanding that "joy is the fire of dreams and brings hope," Doe and Walch encourage parents to help kids trust their natural enthusiasm and optimism to help them nurture themselves within moments of private time or in ad hoc family rituals or spontaneous creativity and play. There are exercises and affirmations at the end of each chapter intended to help adults and children experience and understand each principle. Many of the ideas here are worth trying, yet readers who do try to change and expand their family lives may discover that the authors' approach is sentimental and oversimplified. Many good kids balk at talk about God and angels. Honoring our children is an important subject, but just a spoonful of humor would have helped this sugary medicine go down in a more palatable way. First serial to Ladies' Home Journal.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060952415
• ISBN 13: 9780060952419
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400