Susan Stiffelman is an internationally respected parent educator, therapist, and author. She writes the Huffington Post's weekly parenting advice column and is the author of Parenting Without Power Struggles. In this book from a collection endorsed by spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle, the author focuses on some of the qualities that are helpful in transforming a child into an adult who is conscious, confident, and caring. Stiffelman is convinced that mothers and fathers can parent best with presence, which means responding to the challenges of daily life with flexibility and choice. Visit her website at www.SusanStiffelman.com
At one point, Stiffelman notes: "The Buddha is crying in the next room. How you handle that is an evolved and as spiritual as it gets." When the author asked parents what was the one trait they most wanted to cultivate in their children, it was respect. We can model this character quality through the ways in which we communicate, listen, empathize, handle disagreements, and honor our vows and promises.
Other character traits discussed by Stiffelman are the ability to deal with stress, being compassionate, living with passion and purpose, practicing self-care and kindness, and telling the truth. One of the major dimensions of spirituality is learning to move through life. Steiffelman's practices advance that parenting goal with creativity and pluck!
