CHILD APPROVED PARENTING
Child Approved: Once I stopped parent-ruled parenting, cold turkey, and told my children of my
intention, they did me the honor of believing me and the wonderful adventure with them began
immediately.
Child Approved: I was once honored by children in another way. One mother had asked me about what
I was working on in my book and my approach to parenting. I wrote her a letter and was asked to present
it to a class of elementary school children. When I finished, the children began clapping and some stood
up, clapping. Soon all of the children were standing and clapping. They had honored me with a
spontaneous standing ovation.
Child Approved: I used to sell my books at a local Summer Arts Fair. I remember a girl talking with me
about my book and telling me that she was going to ask her mother to buy it. I'm wondering if that was the
mother who returned the following year to thank me for writing the book. She said she purchased it the
previous year and now her four children were so nice!
Child Approved: Other children honored me by asking if they could live with me, or telling me that they
would like to live with me, children from four years old to early teens. Some children actually lived with me
when it was better for them to be with me than at home. Sometimes my nieces honored us by spending
part of their summer vacations with us. Many other children, friends of my children spent many hours
enjoying at our home.
Child Approved: My autistic students honored me by enjoying being in my classroom. They always
showed patience and cooperation and revealed some of their secrets. And the letters from their parents
show parent approval as well.
Child Approved: There was a 5th grade class. Their assigned teacher was very ill for months and they
had substitute after substitute. I helped them find harmony, even students who had been excluded before
joined in the harmony. There was such joy on their faces and they devoted themselves to their work.
Because one step of the process involved a very loud town hall meeting to deal with the many issues that
had tormented this class of students, the administration decided I was not to return. The students
revolted. A group of the more vocal students went to the office, where they were lied to and told I would
be back the next day. The students spent the afternoon creating beautiful testimonials for me, letting me
know that they considered me the best teacher they had ever had!
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