Parenting is one of the most important things we do yet it is often the most under appreciated, under valued and under resourced activities around. If only as much money, thought and energy went into parenting as professional sport… our children and world would be remarkably different.

In my own parenting journey I have had to constantly grow and learn to keep up with my children. Actually in all honesty I have had to effectively get a personality transplant to be the parent that I want to be. When I began this journey thinking things like:
- positive actions by children need to be encouraged, effectively rewarded
- consistency is crucial to effective parenting
- children need boundaries and predictable implications to their actions

Since that time my eyes have been opened to many options which question the premises of these approaches and provide alternatives. Issues such as:
- how can children be raised without rewards or punishment… but with the ability to be self motivated
- how can we go beyond consistency and focus more on understanding/ empathising with given needs and situation
- how can children develop self discipline and decide and apply their own boundaries

In this journey unschooling has been my biggest revelation. Adopting this approach created a snow ball effect of trusting and helping to empower my children… rather than trying to “train or contain” them!

Unfortunately this stuff does not come instinctively to me, thus the number of book reviews etc that will soon be appearing on this site.. I hope that my exploration and associated ramblings might be of some assistance to you in your own parenting journey.

This page has the following sub pages.

• 12 Exercises for Mindful Parenting
• 5 Reasons to Stop Saying “Good Job!”
• Parenting is Making My Brain Hurt
• 20 Alternatives to Punishment
• Aware Parenting for Health
• Surviving the Toddler Years
• The Possible and Impossible in Parenting
• Into the World of Giants

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