10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child's Soul [Paperback]

Mimi Doe (Author), Marsha F. Walch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 1998

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, how do we, as parents, honor the spirituality of our children? As we shuttle between school, soccer practice, piano lessons, ballet lessons, birthday parties, and doctors' appointments, how do we find the time to encourage our children, through the ups and downs of growing up, to turn to God for guidance?

In 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting, Mimi Doe and Marsha Walch open our eyes to the spontaneous, creative, freethinking joy that characterizes a child's innate spirituality. In ten easy-to-follow chapters containing exercises and practical suggestions, the authors point out that opportunities to express spirituality are abundant in our routine life. Talking at dinner, lighting candles, performing daily chores--all of these events have the potential to be sacred moments.

Contemporary parents face unique challenges: In our media-saturated culture, children are continually exposed to violence, cynicism, and a confusing code of ethics. By offering concrete ways to help children develop positive values, Mimi Doe and Marsha Walch support parents' efforts to counteract negative messages.

10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting is an invaluable guide for parents who yearn to help their children nurture a rich spirituality of their own.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This mother-daughter team offers practical advice for parents who wish to bring more spirituality into their parenting as well as their children's day-to-day life. Parents, regardless of whether they belong to an organized religion or not, report that the book has been profoundly inspirational. Each chapter is devoted to 1 of the 10 principles of spiritual parenting and includes ruminations as well as specific suggestions. The writing is fluid, well organized, and filled with respect for parents and their children. In the chapter titled "Create a Flexible Structure," suggestions include: provide daily quiet time, downshift into your child's rhythms rather than always imposing your own, and try not to get caught up in the competitive rush to sign up, join in, and push harder to give your child a leg up on other kids. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

A mother and daughter team up to show that God is in the details of parenting. Daughter Doe (coauthor of Drawing Angels Near: Children Tell of Angels in Words and Pictures) and mother Walch, a psychotherapist, offer guidelines and suggestions to help parents fan the spark of their children's natural imagination into the flame of spirituality and belief in God. The authors break down the task into 10 chapters ranging from "Know That God Cares for You" and "Trust and Teach That All Life Is Connected and Has a Purpose" to more down-to-earth advice on listening to children and encouraging their dreams. "Use the example of a flashlight beam cutting through the darkness," they advise about achieving goals. Understanding that "joy is the fire of dreams and brings hope," Doe and Walch encourage parents to help kids trust their natural enthusiasm and optimism to help them nurture themselves within moments of private time or in ad hoc family rituals or spontaneous creativity and play. There are exercises and affirmations at the end of each chapter intended to help adults and children experience and understand each principle. Many of the ideas here are worth trying, yet readers who do try to change and expand their family lives may discover that the authors' approach is sentimental and oversimplified. Many good kids balk at talk about God and angels. Honoring our children is an important subject, but just a spoonful of humor would have helped this sugary medicine go down in a more palatable way. First serial to Ladies' Home Journal.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1st edition (June 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060952415
• ISBN-13: 978-0060952419
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Guide For Families That Want To Be Close, July 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child's Soul (Paperback)

Every chapter of this book leaves you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart. The book gives you very good ideas on how to grow closer to your family while developing their spirituality. The ideas for conversations with children were very helpful. This is a book I will enjoy giving to friends, especially new parents. I will also enjoy rereading it when I need a break from my hectic schedule.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Children's Spiritual Development - Creating a Better World, June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child's Soul (Paperback)

Giving children the best possible start in life includes fostering their spiritual development. In our fast paced, result-driven world, our emotional and spiritual needs can be overlooked. The principles highlighted in this book give invaluable guidance for parents wishing to assist their children in developing values and coping skills that will take them through the challenges of life.

As a therapist, I am happy to recommend this book to my clients who are parents. The best legacy we can leave to our children is a world that is gentler and more compassionate. The only route is through individual accountability - this book is an instrument to that end.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderous and Inspiring --I'm Impressed!, April 5, 2000

By 

Stacy DeBroff - See all my reviews

This review is from: 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child's Soul (Paperback)

This book caught me by surprise, with the warmth that infuses its writing, the penetrating insightfulness of its principles, and the ability to integrate its ideas into the everydayness of life. It elevated my focus from the intensity of life's details to touch base with matters of the heart. I began to reflect with renewed clarity on the sense of family and values that I impart daily to my children ages 5 and 7. While other books out there have tried to copy this message, this book clearly has become the classic in its field. What a tremendous service to us moms!