Born to Fly Workbook:

Born to Fly is very different from other parenting books that I've read. The focus of most other parenting books is how to get your child to do more of what you want - eat his peas, do his homework, stop fighting with his siblings and so on. Born to Fly: How to Discover & Encourage Your Child's Natural Gifts on the other hand, focuses on your child and helps you to see him as a unique person with his own strengths and weaknesses. The rest of the book goes on to help parents identify their child's strengths and weaknesses. Then it helps parents to build on the strengths. Born to Fly: How to Discover & Encourage Your Child's Natural Gifts is filled with delightful, fun illustrations and is very easy to read. After reading the first section of the book, I realized that much of what we misconstrue as misbehavior stems from misunderstanding your child's unique personality and temperament. If you associate discipline with punishment, then you're very wrong. Thom says that discipline means teaching and correction and not punishment. A common mistake that stems from this misconception is that parents punish a child when he's made a mistake, rather than providing guidance and loving correction. For example, spanking a child who has spilled his juice, instead of teaching him how to clean up and be more careful next time. Thom says that discipline is only required for willful misbehavior, notfor innocent mistakes. Choices are part of everyday life, from the cereal your child eats for breakfast to the clothing that he wears. In order to be an achiever your child needs to know how to make good choices. Born to Fly shows you how to guide your child through the decision making process and how to encourage your child to make the right decisions. "Smart decisions balance what a person wants done with what ought to be done." says Thom. I loved the book and its message - Appreciate your children for the unique people that they are instead of trying to mold them into your idea of perfection. The copy that I reviewed was lent from the library.