Children Are from Heaven: Positive Parenting Skills for Raising Cooperative, Confident, and Compassionate Children

Whenever I read a book by John Gray I can’t help but wonder where he gets his wisdom from. I’ve often thought that he must have the key to some long lost source of wisdom or that he himself is an angel upon earth. He’s so in tune to peoples emotions, to the way our minds and souls work and has such an innate knowledge of how to best deal with relationships effectively and in a positive manner. After reading Children Are From Heaven I became even more convinced that this man has tapped into some long forgotten source of wisdom that all humans used to posses and his purpose here on Earth is to reacquaint us with this knowledge in order to change the world.

His advice on child rearing is simply wonderful. So full of love, compassion show more and gentleness, yet with the much needed structure that children need in order to thrive.

The whole premise of the book is based upon 5 positive parenting messages that we should relay to our children:

1) It’s ok to be different
2) It’s ok to make mistakes
3) It’s ok to express negative emotions
4) It’s ok to want more
5) It’s ok to say no, but remember mom and dad are the bosses

Five very simple messages, but so profound in the difference they make in ones life. During the course of the book John goes into great detail about each of these messages, why they are important, how to use them effectively and most important, what not to do. He believes that parenting is a learned skill and that most people know that what their parents did was not the proper, most compassionate way to do things, but simply don’t have the tools to improve upon them. Also that in an effort to use more compassion and less punishment some parents have gone too far in the other direction. Allowing their children to do anything and everything they want which only leads to disrespectful, out of control children. This book gives you the tools needed to become the parent you want to be.

Very much like attachment parenting, yet better in many ways. His methods lead to children who want to cooperate, who know how to effectively communicate and who are empowered to reach their full potential. It also leads to parents who understand that children are from heaven. That they come into this world with everything they need in order to be loving, compassionate, well balanced adults but lack the structure needed to get there. By using the methods presented here one becomes capable of a higher level of parenting. Of parenting in the most positive, helpful, compassionate sense. I recommend this book so highly I’d consider it a must have. show less

5 messages of positive parenting:
- permission to be different enables children to discover, appreciate and develop their unique inner potential and purpose.
- permission to make mistakes lets children self-correct, learn from mistakes and achieve greater success.
- permission to express negative emotion lets children learn to manage their feelings and develop better awareness.
- permission to want more allows children to know what they deserve, and to learn delayed gratification, so they are happy with what they have.
- permission to resist lets children exercise their will and define a true and positive sense of self.
An interesting philosophy, worth a read.