Shefali Tsabary is an expert in family dynamics and personal development who runs a private practice in New York City. She specializes in the integration of Western psychology and Eastern philosophy and is the author of the bestselling book The Conscious Parent.

Sometimes, the last shall be the first. We were very impressed with the appendix to this top-drawer volume. It contains "Thirty Daily Reminders to Build Consciousness" as a necessary and salutary parenting skill. Here are a few of them:

  • "Focus on who your child is today, not what they do.
  • "Let go of emphasis on their performance, tests, achievements, or chores.
  • "Commit to being judgment-free today, no matter what the triggers.
  • "Pause and take a step back. Before you react with judgment, ask, 'Does this really matter in the long run? '
  • "Open conversations with observations, not questions; with comfort, not control.
  • "Invite your children to talk to you by letting them know they don't have to talk at all.
  • "Validate them to feel exactly what they feel at any given moment.
  • "Create humility by reminding them that it's human to have limitations.
  • "Teach acceptance of who they are becoming each day, so they think in terms of progress, not perfection."

Tsabary sets out on an ambitious mission here: to present a new model of parenthood where fathers, mothers, and children are "mutual partners on a path of growth founded on increasing consciousness." She points out the damage that can be done to family relationships by the roars of the ego, thoughtless reactivity, and the predatory powers of fear. With great elan, Tsabary shatters such parenting myths as parents need to be in control, parenting is about raising a happy child, there are good children and bad children, and a successful child is ahead of the curve.

The author shows how we can reframe parenting skills by moving from expectations to engagement, from mindless reaction to mindful presence, from chaos to stillness, from role to no-role, from emotions to feelings, and from judgment to empathy.

The Awakened Family by Shefali Tsabary is a real lifesaver for those seeking to make parenthood into a genuine spiritual adventure with their children as partners.