Week of April 23rd

Book Group
Tuesday, April 24, 6:30 pm, Wild Oats
The book is Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves: Transforming Parent-child Relationships from Reaction And Struggle to Freedom, Power And Joy by Naomi Aldort.

Discussion Questions:

1. How did you find this book to fit into your parenting philosophy?
2. How does this method compare/contrast with other “gentle” types of discipline/parenting?
3. Was there a particular story in the book that made you uncomfortable? Why?
4. Can you think of a time when you suppressed natural child like behaviors in public because of your own embarrassment, not necessarily because you thought you child shouldn’t be acting in that way? How do you think Naomi’s children act at home or in public?
5. How do you feel about Naomi’s suggestion for following through with your child’s power games?
6. What are your feelings about chores. Do you agree with Naomi that children should only help out if they want to? Do you believe her that if they are not required to help that they will one day joyfully contribute?
7. Explore Parent Centered vs. Child Centered parenting. How do you think the popular or current thinking of the day has moved on this gradient. How have our culture and the times contributed to what we consider appropriate parenting? Is there a pendulum effect?
8. Throughout the book, Naomi suggests multiple times that certain types of behaviors, including sleeping and eating problems, aggression, bed-wetting, tics, and others are indicative of the parent(s) not allowing full expression, or letting the child fully be their authentic self. Do you believe this?
9. Discuss the following quote from Love, page 84: “When your commitment to the child is greater than your personal fears, you will grow beyond your limitations and your child will flourish.”

Playgroup
Friday, April 27, 10:00 am
Larkspur Park (the big one by the senior center on Reed Market Road). Meet about 10 am. Right now, the forecast predicts a high of 65° and partly cloudy, so maybe this will be a nice park day. E-mail me for more information (cathjasp@gmail.com).