"We are all wanderers on this earth...our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." ~ Gypsy proverb

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Raising Parents ~ A giveaway

"If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves." ~C.G. Jung, Integration of the Personality, 1939

I did read many parenting books when my kids were younger.  I just didn't realize until later that they were the wrong ones!  I listened to the wrong experts and used the wrong methods.  Of course I didn't know it then, but all the signs were there.  It wasn't until I stopped listening to all the experts and started listening to my children, that I began to actually learn something.  I learned that the greatest teachers lived in my own home.  And though I believed we were raising children, our children actually, were raising parents.

Once we brought awareness into our own habits and had a strong desire to change them, we needed support.  Once I knew what I was looking for, the right books, the right ideas, and the right methods began to appear. The first book I ever read that helped us take the first steps towards change was How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk.  Even then, we had no idea that more changes had to happen from within.  But at least we had the tools to try to stop yelling, stop assuming, and stop controlling.  It was a great place to start.

We eventually had to ask ourselves the "why's".  Why did we have to control so much? Why were we so quick to yell? Why did we believe things had to be a certain way?  Naomi Aldort's work really helped us in this part of the process, and it is her work that I want to pass on today :).

Trusting Our Children and Trusting Ourselves is a 6 disc CD compilation of 6 keynote presentations by Naomi Aldort at the Rethinking Education conference in 1995.  While her book remains excellent, this CD compilation extends from parenting peacefully into understanding how natural learning works.  Naomi is a strong proponent for life learning and raised all three of her children this way. 

Here is a summary of the content:

Disc 1) Rethinking Education: Debunking common assumptions about child development.
Disc 2, CD 1) Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves Part I: Bring peace and unconditional love into your relationship with your children by understanding your own reaction as different from your child's needs.
Disc 2, CD 2) Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves Part II.
Disc 3) Debunking Praise: Find out why you really praise and at what price.
Disc 4) Children's Behavior and Emotions: Includes many questions from audience members, and Aldort's skillful guidance about understanding children so they can be the best of themselves.
Disc 5) Self Directed Learning: Why children learn best when they follow their own path, timetable and direction, and how to support them toward their own fulfillment.
Disc 6) Equality, Respect and Freedom for Children: From chores to bed time and dinner; how to live with children in a way that they care and respond, not out of fear, but out of joy and love, of their own free will.

You have two opportunities to enter (and please comment separately for each entry): COMMENT CLOSED
1) Please leave a comment below
2) Mention this giveaway on facebook, or your blog if you have one!
Last entries will be taken by midnight Friday, I will draw and announce the winner this Saturday May 7th!!!


much love and luck
xx oo

30 comments:

  1. How To Talk So Kids Will Listen... was also my first book, and I completely agree with the reading of all the WRONG books! I did that, too! I usually don't have much interest in giveaways, but this one, well, this is different! How awesome! So glad I stopped by this morning.

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  2. I love How To Talk, and Naomi Aldort has transformed my parenting in many ways. I would be thrilled to win the CDs, since they have some material I haven't heard yet! Thank you for doing this. <3

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  3. I am sharing this on my Dulce de leche page and personal FB page. I know that whoever wins will be blessed by it, and I am excited to be able to spread the word. :)

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  4. Oh I like the sound of this! crossing my fingers, and I'll be sure to link!

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  5. Oh this comes with perfect timing as we are discovering ways other than how we were raised to bring up our children. while overwhelming, the small steps we are taking now have had wonderful impact on our daily life. Thank you

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  6. MJ, just want to pop in and say that I'm glad you were able to benefit from these wonderful cd's. My young parenting day's are over so please don't enter me, but I did want to say Hi and wish you a great day.

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  7. What a generous giveaway! Naomi Aldort is indeed very wise, and I would love to benefit from these lectures! Thanks for sharing your parenting resources, MJ <3

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  8. I would love this! I'm reading Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves right now!

    ithoughtiknewmama at gmail dot com

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  9. I shared the giveaway on my FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Thought-I-Knew-Mama/185496634805792

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  10. Fantastic giveaway--so excited to enter! marymichaelpontzer at gmail dot com

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  11. Shared Giveaway on my facebook page!
    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=677330382

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  12. I really need a great book to help me reconnect with my children!
    cammieamy @ hotmail . com

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  13. Great giveaway. I'm definitely struggling with the issue of control right now. Thanks!

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  14. This book sounds like exactly what I need right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  15. I also posted it to my facebook page :)

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  16. Oh, this sounds wonderful. I would love this and it would be very timely at this point on my parenting journey!

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  17. I posted on my FB page! I think a lot of my friends will be interested. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  18. never read the book but have always wanted to. but the cd version sounds amazing.

    count me in.

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  19. i facebooked ya too! sorry, done my blogging this week, shame.

    and shared you in google reader for good measure.

    have a great giveaway!

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  20. This looks so awesome! I am learning to parent from the inside out; it's much different than what the mainstream tells us.
    Love all of those heart stones!!!

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  21. oooh, that sounds great - love the Aldort book and refer to it again and again, but would love to have a listen as well, seems to help things sink in a bit

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  22. How wonderful. I know I would be so pleased to win this book. I will post it onto my blog.
    Plus, I have nominated you for an award, so check it out lovely lady xxx

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  23. I would love to win sweet pea, and I will share it too on my blog.
    I have given you an award, please check it out!

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  24. The CD's sound like they have some great information. As a parent I want to continue changing for the better. Jacinta

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  25. how great--these would be excellent for my commute 2 days a week. i too love that book, along with Simplicity parenting. happy weekend!

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  26. This looks wonderful. I was hoping my library would have this, but it doesn't. But then, I thought, if I win this, I'll listen to it then donate it to the library so it can be available to more parents. Fingers crossed!

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  27. I am soooo excited! Thank you so much for this giveaway!!

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  28. As a parent, I haven't stopped my quest for knowledge. But you're so right, we learn the most when we stop and listen to our babes. The CDs would be so great, especially for all the waiting I do in ferry lines.

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  29. Wow, I would love to listen to this book! If I don't win I think I'll be searching it out elsewhere. Thanks for sharing and for the opportunity!

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw