My favourite piece of writing* in pretty much all of literary history is the poem ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling. There’s something about his admonitions to his son that speaks to my very heart, and the phrases:
“IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;â€
seem so apt for parenting. But sometimes remaining calm seems practically impossible.
I’ve written little bits and pieces about gentle discipline in the past, but it is not an art I’ve entirely mastered yet  – to my great shame and sadness – but it is one I’m working on. But I do realise that being a gentle parent requires something massive: peace. Gentle discipline and peaceful parenting go hand in hand, in my view, and I struggle to see how I can separate the two.
But, as I explained yesterday, I am not perfect, and I need a lot of help and explanation, and sometimes a how to guide doesn’t hurt either. Which is why I love this new eBook from Peace4Parents.
Amy Phoenix is a gentle yet direct parenting guide, healing facilitator, and mother of four dedicated to sharing insights and practices to transform doubt, frustration and anger, heal the past, nurture conscious relationships, and experience the peace of the present.
Her eBook, Creating Family Harmony from the Inside Out, is available free from Peace for Parents. She describes parenting and awareness through the metaphor of the ‘whole body camera’ with the photographer being yourself, and how you can make adjustments on your perspectives, focus, and so on, and how those can help your parenting.
The eBook also includes a number of step by step lists on finding your way to peace, peaceful conflict resolution, and a ‘spiral staircase’ of parenting.
I am very much the kind of person who explains thoughts and ideas by use of visual imagery, and I think Amy is too, which is why her book appeals so much to me.
I recommend you set aside an hour or so to read it, and hopefully it’ll bring peace to your parenting and your home. I know I am hoping for that as I try to implement it too.
*The others are She Walks In Beauty, by Lord Byron, Beauty, by Bruce Threatt and Hope Eternal, by Martin James, in no particular order.
Thanks for linking this ebook. I will be downloading it and reading just as soon as my little one settles to sleep 🙂
I haven’t read the ebook yet, but thanks for the link. I have downloaded it and will read it soon. I need this! I keep thinking it is me, and not the kids that are crazy. OK, them a little…… But, I do think if I were more chill, then the days will go smoother. Thanks again!!!!
Thank you! Many of us can benefit from continual practice as we live in a world where there are many distractions from experiencing peace. I do hope it is helpful for anyone who reads and I will let you know when the full book is complete as it will contain more concrete examples you can apply. Enjoy… 🙂