Parenting

  
The role of PARENT may be the greatest role we ever embrace-- most important from the influence we have, the power we wield, the duration and depth of impact.

Here are some resources to guide you on this heart-filling, heart-wrenching, life-redefining journey of parenthood.

Overriding Principle: The #1 predictor of how well your child will do in life (i.e. school performance, job performance, emotional health, relational health, physical health) is how you, the parent, live and how you make sense of your past.

"How you live" means "Are you the adult you want your child to grow to be?" If we want our children to love and accept who they are, our job as parents is to love and accept who we are.

"How you live" favorite resources:
    Brené Brown   http://brenebrown.com
        TED Talks: The Power of Vulnerability -- 20 minute video
        TED Talks: Listening to Shame -- 20 minute video
        "The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto" -- one page document
        Daring Greatly -- book, final chapter is on parenting
        The Gifts of Imperfection -- book
        I Thought It Was Just Me -- book

"How you make sense of your past" means your experiences when you were a child shaped your brain, how you relate to people, and how you parent. By understanding your own childhood you can raise compassionate and resilient children.

"How you make sense of your past" favorite resources:
    Dr. Daniel Siegel
        Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You
             Raise Children Who Thrive -- book
        The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's
            Developing Mind -- book

Most Impactful Skill: Mindfulness
    Michelle Wright
         "The Practice of Mindfulness: Learning to Focus, Notice and Allow in a Distracting, Judgmental World"
            -- two page article
    Jon Oliver
        "Self-Control Time" chapter within the book Lesson One: The ABCs of Life:
            The Skills We All Need But Were Never Taught
    Susan Kaiser Greenland
        The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier
            Kinder, and More Compassionate -- book
    Thich Nhat Hanh
        Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children -- book
    Carla Naumburg
         "Mindful Parenting" -- article