Parenting with Spirit: 30 Ways to Nurture Your Child's Spirituality and Enrich Your Family's Life

When I flipped open this book, I came across a statement about society's declining religiosity that struck me as odd. I later realized that the author is British. This explained the context for this book -- how to cultivate a spiritual life for your family and children in the secular context so prevalent in Europe. Since this is not really the case in the US, which is more assertive and comfortable with religiosity by and large, some of the ideas may translate as well to the American context. The author emphasizes that children are a valuable part of any religious community, and she provides a wide-ranging group of activities. They are mostly aimed at those who are outside any particular faith, and call upon an assortment of backgrounds (such as reading a myth every week from a world religion or culture). While the author is a Christian, the recommendations are certainly not Christianity-specific. Rather, they are broad in spectrum and for those comfortable with looking to a diversity of faith traditions to fill a spiritual void. Some people may find this overly broad -- they may want to focus their spiritual efforts on their faith rather than reading about New Age beliefs or another religion's holy book. Nonetheless, the idea of a book focussed on nurturing a child's spirituality and discussing your beliefs with them is an important step, and therefore the book is useful just for its basic premise, even if you do not embrace all of the author's particular suggestions.

Jane Bartlett does a remarkable job of presenting spiritual ideas in a practical and approachable style that would meet the needs of families with a wide variety of lifestyles. Focused meditation and stillness are important skills with many benefits for adults and children, as Bartlett points out, but finding a connection with our spiritual nature in activity is just as vital. Chapters on play, body awareness, toys and pets address real family life. Parents looking for ways to nuture the spiritual side of life within their family's daily activities will find a wealth of ideas here. Jane Bartlett's obvious respect for traditional religious practices as well as spiritual expression outside religious dogma includes a broad spectrum of readers. A valuable resource.