October 5, 2015

Spiritual Parenting by Michelle Anthony

Dominique Book Review, Parenting and Kids Spiritual Parenting

Spiritual Parenting Book Cover

Spiritual Parenting: An Awakening for Today’s Families by Michelle Anthony is a book which I recently read.

What is Spiritual Parenting?.

In the book Michelle defines spiritual parenting as an approach to reminds me that it’s not my job to merely control my children’s behavior, but rather it is my job to model with authenticity what I have in my relationship with God through Christ

One needs to create spaces where GOD can work his wonders.

This can be through a variety of activities like a few of those listed below.

storytelling
faith community
service
stepping out of your comfort zone
modelling

There are 10 different environments which are exposed to in our lives where GOD resides. However before we start looking at these environments we need to pray and ask for GOD’s directions to guide us to reach our potential as a spiritual adviser to our kids.

The best way to get your child to understand and remember the Big Story /chapters in the bible is to tell stories based on your personal experience. We need to show how god uses the circumstances in our lives – both the positive and the negative- to bring us closer to himself. In this way our kids will be able to understand how GOD works in their lives too.

The faith of children is most likely to grow when
they have the opportunity to associate with
adults who are growing persons who know
and love God. The child’s faith is inspired
when he or she belongs to an inclusive
community that seeks to live out God’s love.
Catherine Stonehouse

My thoughts

Even though the kids may error in their ways it is up to us as an adult to guide them and send them down the right path. We are their spiritual guide here on earth and it is very beneficial for them to be provided with the various stones they need to help anchor their faith in GOD.

I have been struggling to find the best way to enhance the kids knowledge in GOD. Born a Catholic and having been through all the different rites and even Sunday school I do find my faith lacking.

There are many parts in the Christian faith that I have been questioning about its relevance in today’s world. Certain practices seem outdated and more man made then what is actually stated in the bible.

Reading the book gave me a better insight on how other Christian parents are bringing up their children and how they create an environment of responsibility at home with GOD at the center of focus.

Creating opportunities where children are able to take responsibility for their actions and ownership of their family members, school and community is what we should do as a parent.

It is important for one as a parent to take responsibility for oneself and be proactive . Lead by example as this is the best way of teaching a child.

Many a times while disciplining my kids I am unable to solve the problem as only stop- gap measures have been used. The root problem was not exposed and healed so that it no longer causes the negative problem. This is an area which I will have to focus on in order to accelerate the kids Spiritual formation.

Do grab a copy of the book and I’m sure it will make your journey as a parent much clearer.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are 100% mine. This post has affiliate links.

August 30, 2015

The Parent Child Dance

Dominique Book Review, Parenting and Kids Parenting

The Parent- Child Dance

The Parent-Child Dance: Strategies and Techniques for Staying One Step Ahead by Ronald A. Kotkin and Aubrey H. Fine is a 10 Chapter book which helps parents understand how to relate to their children better.

In her book she mentions about the spectrum of different parenting styles and how kids react to the different styles. What comes easily for us may seem to be different for the child who is trying it for the first time.

Each chapter revolves around problems that parents and children face and suggestions on how they can solve them. Various scenario are raised and solutions given on how to address them.

For example it can be frustrating to get kids to listen and carry out your instruction. Their attention span is very limited and sometimes they do not intentionally want to forget about what you have instructed them. A good way is to produce a pictorial chart for the child so that they can refer to what they have to do. Sometimes it is not that the child is not compliant but the fact that there was poor communication between the child and parents.

Children will always challenge us one way or another. We need to have a plan so that we can take a appropriate path of action if the need arises in different situations.

My thoughts

I enjoyed reading the book as it had clear explanations of why children behave in a certain manner and the rational behind their actions.

Many a times the parenting books do not give a practical alternative to how to handle certain obstacles that most parents face and just quote theory after theory. The summary points at the end of each chapter also makes it easier to focus on and certainly deserve a thumbs up by me.

Ronald and Aubery’s book give tips that are certainly doable and make it easy for the parent to follow through

As parents we need to display a united front and have a clear stance regarding how we would like to bring up our child/children.

It is important to know what works best for your child/children and how you can tweak your parenting style as they grow up. As they move from toddler to teenage we need to guide them every step of the way.

It was interesting to see so many different aspects of how a parent can be fully involved in a child’s life to guide and mentor them. From teaching them the correct way to behave, social skills and also building up their resilience as a young adult.

The authors have some interesting suggestions for dealing with kids misbehaviors which I will be implementing with my boys in the coming weeks. Hopefully they will be able to change for the better.

Do pick up a copy of the book if you are interested to learn more parenting tips from The Parent-Child Dance: Strategies and Techniques for Staying One Step Ahead by Ronald A. Kotkin and Aubrey H. Fine

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are 100% mine. This post has affiliate links.