Honoring The Child Spirit

Honoring the Child Spirit is an inspirational, emotional, and prescriptive book that calls upon each of us to recognize and honor the openness, creativity, innocence, and awe of children—and to tap into and pay tribute to the childlike spirit that lies at the heart of us all. Adulthood, according to the late Michael Jackson, is not the be all and end all of growing up and living a worthwhile life. With society’s high expectations placed upon maturity and responsibility, we often shut down our curiosity, sense of play, and deep sensitivity. And with this shutting down, we too often fail to recognize and cherish that spirit in our own children—and the world’s children—so that they can thrive and flourish as children. With evocative chapters on the childlike qualities most important to Michael Jackson—from Awe and Wonder, Creativity, and Gratitude to Imagination and Security—this heartfelt book gives voice to the eternity of Michael’s spirit and how he should be remembered: as someone who tried to live by these childlike qualities. Though far from perfect, it was this attempt to sustain innocence amidst the trappings of fame that became his life’s goal.

The family system is our first and most intimate experience of the world. It is where we learn about love, sharing, generosity, co-creation, and honoringor about hate, reaction, fear, anger, and separation. The family may be a spiritual haven and a loving place of growth or a place of absent presence, where we physically live together but do not connect. We either make this connection and create a foundation in our childhood or spend our lives looking for it. When parents establish a conscious heart/soul connection with their chil- dren and with each other, deeper levels of trust and safety are experienced. As we deepen our bonds, we are more sensitive to the subtle, nonverbal communication which we exchange at all times with all living organisms. Relationships are not bound by normal restrictions because the information sent via channels of sensory response are unaffected by language, beliefs, or convention. You are connected beyond earthly rules, and can therefore create a unique relationship that works for your family.

(NEW) Spirit Bear: Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams is the latest addition to the award-winning picture book series written by Order of Canada recipient Cindy Blackstock (Gitxsan Nation) and illustrated by Amanda Strong (Michif)! Spirit Bear is on his way home from a sacred ceremony when he meets Jake, a friendly dog, with a bag full of paper hearts attached to wood stakes. Jake tells Spirit Bear that school children and residential school survivors will plant the hearts when a big report on residential schools called the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC for short) is shared. The TRC will have Calls to Action so we can all help end the unfairness and make sure this generation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children grow up healthy and proud!

In The Spiritual Child, psychologist Lisa Miller presents the next big idea in psychology: the science and the power of spirituality. She explains the clear, scientific link between spirituality and health and shows that children who have a positive, active relationship to spirituality: * are 40% less likely to use and abuse substances * are 60% less likely to be depressed as teenagers * are 80% less likely to have dangerous or unprotected sex * have significantly more positive markers for thriving including an increased sense of meaning and purpose, and high levels of academic success. Combining cutting-edge research with broad anecdotal evidence from her work as a clinical psychologist to illustrate just how invaluable spirituality is to a child's mental and physical health, Miller translates these findings into practical advice for parents, giving them concrete ways to develop and encourage their children's—as well as their own—well-being. In this provocative, conversation-starting book, Dr. Miller presents us with a pioneering new way to think about parenting our modern youth.

Vision all these aspects of parenting and just know you can do it: Forgive or give gratitude to your own parents, Achieve a balance between both parents on a parenting style, Match the criteria for what you want in your parenting partner, Establish basic trust and encourage your children's passions, Create a positive discipline plan, Support both your children's basic skills and their natural talents, Nurture your moral development as well as your children's, Produce a healthy environment and age-appropriate exercise, Instill traditions so your children will have wonderful memories, Give the gift of spending time together as a family. Book jacket.

Do traditions contribute to children’s spirituality? Why and how so? From theoretical and practical considerations, this book explores children’s weaving of and distancing from family, cultural, educational, and religious traditions. It examines the transformational relationship between traditions and young people’s lives and spirituality and pursues answers to the following questions: What kind of traditions influences young people’s spirituality and how are those influences exerted? How and under the influence of whom do children develop their own worldviews and their own sets of values? How does that contribute to their identity building? How is children’s spirituality connected to traditions? The chapters in this book seek answers to these questions by delving into the varied influences that contribute to children’s spiritual development such as: construction of identities, the role of rituals, fables and symbols, subcultures and new religious movements, neoliberal educational practices and the importance of play and languages in spirituality experienced by both the children and the young. Insightful and thought-provoking, this book will be a key resource for practitioners, researchers and scholars in theology and religious studies, early childhood and education, education, developmental psychology, and children’s studies, and will also appeal to anyone interested in understanding the relationship between traditions and young people’s lives. The chapters included in this book were originally published in the International Journal of Children's Spirituality.

Are you a parent who has ever asked the question, Where did this child come from? The HOPE Tribe opens up conversations about soulful living and childrens soul blueprints. It provides insights and ways to interact with our child that bridges gaps, connects you to their soul purpose, and supports you on the journey of parenting. Its practical, its an easy read, and most importantly, it is a new way of thinking about our childrens gifts and abilities. Its empathic parenting tools for empathic children! With diagrams to help link behaviors to mindful interventions and strategies, it is concepts that meet action. This book will be the starting point for creating your own HOPE Tribe and to support you in one of the greatest gifts and most difficult tasks of your liferaising a child.

The author, with more than 30 years of Montessori education experience, shares classroom-tested activities to help foster the love light in every child. This book provides practical and imaginative ways to help children recognize and experience their love lights and become responsible global citizens. The peace-education activities help to nurture skills such as effective communication, conflict resolution, self-confidence, cultural awareness, and more.