WELCOME TO WISDOM PARENTING
On this site you will find
practical philosophy and positive psychology,
set out as seven key ideas or principles about life
that are relevant to everyone – at all stages of their life span.
This is followed by some suggestions
for how we might assist children to grow up to live with
Wisdom Strength and Love.
As parents we want to see our children growing up and fulfilling their potential. Yet we want to allow them to shape their lives for themselves.
We hope to counsel them through life’s difficulties – to guide them and to mentor them and to deal with behaviour issues positively. We want to see them develop good relationships with others. Above all we want to see them having a happy and positive life.
Our children can have a happier life if they are brought up with a clear understanding of principles that have proved to be timeless and universal. Weaving timeless and universal principles into the way we talk with and guide our children can assist them to be more aware, more considerate of others, less materialistic, more realistic, sensible, self-controlled and responsible.
Using such ideas parents can begin to guide their children towards thinking and acting with awareness that our happiness comes from within, that all life is interconnected and that all actions have consequences.
If early in life our children begin to develop sound understandings then they are more likely to be able to build a good life for themselves.
Our motivation can be to become wiser, more skilful parents who can raise happy and aware children. This website aims to lay sound foundations on which to build that wisdom and skill. It also seeks to combine Wisdom with Strength and Love as three elements of character that combine to serve us well throughout our lives.
On this website you will find:-
- A set of philosophical ideas about life.
- A large number of quotes from writers and thinkers both past and present that relate to the ideas.
- The findings of research relating to aspects of the ideas.
- Practical suggestions and specific resources for parents.
Some of the thinking underlying Wisdom Parenting
Have we ever been asked to study the experience of human life in the same way we study language or maths or history or science?
Might many of life’s mistakes and suffering flow from never having learnt or thought about how to live a good and happy life?
Often it seems there are two options:-
We can buy into the advertising world’s idea of a good life being about possessions, pleasure, fame and success.
Or we can get caught up in endless philosophical and religious speculation about life.
Is there an alternative? Can we establish a foundation for a way to live that is based on a practical philosophy and a practical psychology that promotes a life of well being and enduring happiness?
Some elements of the approach taken
- A practical philosophy and practical positive psychology,
built on timeless and universal wisdom,
summarised into seven key ideas or principles,
simply stated in plain language.
- Aiming to state fundamentals of life that can be rationally explained and confirmed by experience. About having fundamental understanding as a basis for our attitudes and our approach to life. Striving to take a long term view and to look at the big picture.
- An approach independent of beliefs. Non religious and non dogmatic. Realistic rather than idealistic. Aiming for commonsense at a higher level. Aiming at actively establishing a good life rather than merely passively refraining from wrong actions. Supporting values of equality, democracy, justice and freedom.
Putting it into practice
Relax and take your time
As parents we can aim to establish these ideas through example and calm, patient explanation over the years of bringing up our children. Aiming to gently educate rather than imposing ideas. We can maintain respect for the child’s ultimate independence and freedom to make their own life. We can maintain respect for the child’s individuality.
Trust yourself
Parents can develop faith in their own capacity to find creative ways to implement these understandings with their own particular child. We can remember to be realistic about the difficulties of putting the understandings into practice.
Copyright © 2008-2017 John Frederick Gray
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If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.
― Mahatma Gandhi
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Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.
They come through you, but not from you.
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may house their bodies, but not their souls.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The Archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
for even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
― Kahlil Gibran
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For the poem Children by By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow click here >>> Children
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At the bottom of most pages will be a preferred navigation path
for reading through the web pages.
Generally this will be Article → related Quotes → related Practical suggestions.
Related Research could be read along the way too.
Enjoy the photos as you go!
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Start by reading the WISDOM page.
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Click here for >>> Web page viewing hints
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