I’d like to begin this post with a couple of questions. Take a moment to ponder the following questions and take stock of your answers and attitudes towards children. When you think of children, what thoughts immediately come to mind? What are or were some of your assumptions about children before you had your own? Do you attribute intent to a child’s behavior? What are your beliefs about the nature of a child or a teenager? Too often, adults associate negative traits to chi

When my firstborn was a few years old, one afternoon I walked into my bedroom shortly after I had just cleaned it to find him in the process of tearing it down. My initial impulse was to react and solve the problem, probably by stopping him, or maybe even making him pay for this mishap and disrespect, because we are told that as parents we have to immediately correct our children’s “ills,” lest they become horrible human beings. However, something compelled me to ask him what

I have been blessed with two beautiful souls that I am honored to call my children. They are loving, adventurous, resilient, creative and extremely silly individuals who are a constant source of joy and inspiration. When my son was born, in 1999, I was overwhelmed by the responsibility of being a parent. For me, the question was not whether I could raise a child but rather, how do I raise a spiritual, emotionally intelligent, and physically healthy individual who will contrib