Heartful Parenting: Connected Parenting and Emotional Intelligence

This is a nice book for young adults! I can almost see my own dogs acting out the parts! Anyone who has a pet will like this book--young or old!

Heartful Parenting by David E. Myers, PhD Book Review 308 words (c) 1996 Karyn Zweifel All Rights Reserved It is illegal to reproduce or distribute this work without written permission from the author, 1512 13th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35205; telephone 205-251-0806; email [email protected] Heartful Parenting: Connected Parenting & Emotional Intelligence (Blue Bird Publishing, Mesa, AZ: 1996. ISBN 0-933-025-51-3; $14.95 paperback) In every parent, there is a tiny corner of the heart that winces when unkind or thoughtless words slip out (sometimes at maximum volume). We all want to get better at this frequently overwhelming task, and some, seeking enlightenment, may have amassed a small library of texts. In Heartful Parenting, Dr. David Myers says there is a secret ingredient to successful parenting: the ability to connect emotionally with ourselves, our spouses and our children. In a deceptively slender book, he discusses the perils of raising children in a 3crazy2 society, the balancing act required to both affirm your child and set limits, the need to develop discipline based on a solid relationship, and many other issues of parenthood. There are few absolute answers -- no handy index to look up 3temper tantrums -- controlling2 while your child is howling on aisle three of the supermarket. Instead, Dr. Myers offers 3loving, connected ways of thinking, feeling, and experiencing to create your own answers.2 (page 177). Applying the principles found in the book could also develop potential for connection with yourself, your spouse and your coworkers; a good relationship of any kind is a goal worth pursuing. The longest chapter provides twenty guidelines for clarifying interactions with your child. Each guideline is one to two pages long, with questions at the end, and Dr. Myers suggests reviewing one of these guidelines each day with your spouse. 3Living in the moment,2 3change,2 3expectations2 and 3being selfish2 are some of the topics covered, often with a refreshing twist not found in traditional parenting manuals. Although the rest of the book would be a livelier read with more case studies (Dr. Myers is a clinical psychologist), there is an abundance of good advice wrapped up in these 202 pages. Warm, insightful and immensely practical, Heartful Parenting shows all of us how to recapture the joys of childhood.