"I believe the children are our future,
Teach them well and let them lead the way."
I consider myself very fortunate I have raised Joe who is now 22, in a committed relationship, doing well in the workplace and living an independent and rewarding life, whilst still maintaining a wonderful relationship with me, his dad and siblings. Megan is 19 and is thriving in her second year of university. Our open, honest relationship has helped her through some personal problems where she has emerged stronger, wiser and empowered. Teenager Ella is a delight to live with. She is growing up knowing that we respect her and by allowing her a degree of self-regulation she doesn't have to push boundaries to test us. Kizzy is 8 and is confident, secure and loving. Freddy is a wilful toddler who is energetically learning about his environment and his place in it. I've never really had any real parenting issues. I've enjoyed all the stages from newborn to adult, but there are always challenges along the way. Adopting strategies to smooth the way and help the family grow together is vital and there are always new techniques to learn.
Alan Wilson's book "How to be a Parent Champion and Add Magic to your Family" is a new book on the market. It is not your typical parenting book nor is it a typical self-help book. Through a series of personal development exercises you can learn to be happy and comfortable in yourself, become a better parent and add magic to your family, reclaiming your life along the way. It also offers free ongoing support within a community of like-minded parents.
It helps us to see our children from a different perspective, allowing us to better communicate, cope with challenges and parent naturally. It teaches us ways to become our most powerful self, giving us a deeper connection with our children and adding magic to our family.
When times are hard, our self-esteem can falter. This book offers new tools and techniques to help us take a new approach to life. This can impact upon family relationships, nurturing respect and opening the channels of communication. The four main tools used are:
- Levels of listening and the energetic connection
- The power of thought
- The success diary
- SMART goals
We need to find our own way and learn to trust our instincts. Wilson looks at life-coaching and emotional literacy (the ability to understand, empathize and express emotions) to assist us in our own personal development, allowing us to identify the best way forward.
The book contains photocopiable pages where parents can make note of their goals, aspirations and priorities. I loved the "Wheel of Life" which allows us to look at eight areas of life that are most important, and find ways to enhance these areas and coming up with one thing that could improve them right now. We can make SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed). When we implement these exercises and start to see improvements in our own life, the positivity impacts on the whole family. We can learn to listen to our children, make them feel special and valued and help them to achieve their potential giving support, respect and appreciation. We are encouraged to celebrate our successes and share our achievements as a family.
We can have fun, feel good and share lots of love and laughter!
This book definitely had some really interesting exercises that allowed me and my children to look at our goals, dreams and values. We don't have any specific problems that needed overcoming, but the exercises were still valuable, reminding us all of areas where we can make personal improvements. I was reminded to listen more and ask enquiring questions allowing my younger daughter to fully express herself. There are always ways to improve our self-esteem and become more positive, which allows us to achieve our potential. Nowhere is this more important than with our children, where the changes can be magical. The exercises are really hands on and easy to follow. They allow us to evaluate our activities and celebrate our successes. The book is punctuated with inspirational quotes and readings. I leave you with my favourite.
"We are each of us angels with one wing. And we can fly only by embracing each other."
Luciano de Crescenzo
"How To Be A Parent Champion" is available from Amazon for £9.99.
*We received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review but the opinions expressed are our own.*