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The
Soul of A Child
Nurturing the Divine Identity
of
Our Children
In
THE SOUL OF THE CHILD, Michael
Gurian,
author of The
Wonder of Boys
(1996) and The
Wonder of Girls, provides parents with advice on
nurturing their children's souls. He defines the soul as the light
within a human being and examines technology--including infrared
technology and PET scans--that offers indications of the electrical
currents within the body, which he claims signify an inner source and
may also be signifiers of the soul. In part 1, Gurian
analyzes
scientific research to explore the dynamics of mind, body, and soul,
and to dispute beliefs that the body and soul are not connected. Citing
Freud, Piaget, Gibran, Einstein, and a range of religions, Gurian
reviews stages of growth in a child's soul and how parents can nurture
that development. In part
2, Gurian
extends his focus to an examination
of the soul in adults and the search for expanded knowledge of religion
and God. Whatever their religious and spiritual beliefs, parents will
appreciate this thoughtful book.
—
Booklist
¤
In
THE SOUL OF THE CHILD, therapist and best-selling author of The
Wonder
of Boys and The
Wonder of Girls, Gurian
focuses on the spiritual nature
of children, warning parents not to treat their children as "economic
interns, whose primary goal as adults is to make money," but to spend
time tending to their souls. Mingling scientific analysis with
religious philosophy, he argues that the soul and the body are one
entity-that the soul is part of our neurological makeup. Understanding
this can help parents raise their child to become what he calls a "new
human," a healthy, secure person empowered to follow his or her own
divine destiny. Gurian argues that most children are robbed of their
right (and indeed, their innate inclination) to live a life of meaning
and spiritual purpose; he blames the overstimulation of mass culture
and the breakdown of the family (including the extended family) for the
many problems and psychological disorders of today's children....His
vision for a healthy world and nurturing family life for children is a
crucial one, and will no doubt be welcomed by his many fans.
—
Publisher's Weekly
¤
"THE
SOUL OF THE CHILD is an absolutely brilliant and lovely book. Practical
and scientific. A must read for every parent who wants to
raise a spiritual child."
—
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., author of "Meditation As Medicine"
¤
"This
is a tremendous work! A unique bridge between science and
religion, it is both visionary and good common sense. Its
inspiring stories, beautiful prose, and touch of genius will change the
way we look at children, and ourselves, forever. Gurian's
talents
as a child advocate, parenting expert and social philosopher have all
combined here into what I feel is one of the most important books of
the new millennium."
—
Rev. William Harper Houff, Ph.D., Author of INFINITY IN YOUR HAND
¤
"Bravo
to Michael
Gurian for reminding us of the sacredness of our work as
parents and the vivid lives of our children's souls. If you
have any doubt about the reality of the soul, read THE SOUL OF THE
CHILD."
—
Mimi Doe, Author of 10 Principles For Spiritual Parenting
 To
get this book click here 
HOW
TO BETTER PROTECT OUR CHILDREN
by
Michael Gurian, from THE
SOUL OF THE CHILD
(Atria Books: 2002)
Our
children are under profound stress and pressure today. This
fact
is showing up especially in the proliferation of brain and other neural
disorders. In the last two decades, incidents of the
following
disorders have skyrocketed: eating disorders, self-cutting,
child
addiction to alcohol and other substances, anti-social personality
disorders, learning disabilities, autism, asperger's syndrome, child
sleep disorders, ADD and ADHD, child depression and suicide,
schizophrenia, child violence, and attachment disorders.
Our civilization feeds, shelters and clothes the bodies of our children
better than it ever has, but sacrifices their souls. More
than
one quarter of our children experience one or more brain-related
disorders during their childhood.
A new kind of child advocacy is crucial today--advocacy for the child's
growing brain. This advocacy focuses on three brain
stressors: direct trauma (such as child abuse and sexual
molestation); lack of secure attachment between caregivers and children
(especially during ages birth to three and ten to fifteen); and
overstimulation (from media, overscheduled lives, mismanagement of
child development by economy-driven families).
Here are ten things people do to
better advocate for and protect America's children:
1. Increase
bonding and
attachment in the family. Bonding grows brain
cells. Ideal
for the child's brain is attachment with not only mom and dad, but also
two others who become like second mothers (this is especially crucial
in the early years) and second fathers (especially important during
puberty).
2. Bring the
extended
family back into the raising of children. Human children are
not
meant to be raised by only two or only one parent. When
grandparents and others don't live close by, make sure to create
surrogate "grandparents," "uncles," "aunts"--often, having a godmother
and god father for the child can satisfy this.
3.
Insist on revision of daycare and school culture to fit the
requirements of child bonding and attachment. Support
daycares
that show high quality child-adult ratios, daycares in which caregivers
carry infants around on their chests or back. Support schools
that show an understanding of emotional and character needs in
children, not just instructional. Don't support daycares or
schools that warehouse kids.
4. Change
corporate
culture to fit child bonding needs. Only support corporations
that care about children. Don't support corporations that
provide
no corporate daycare or other means of child-parent bonding support.
5. Control a
child's
media use, including computer use before the age of fourteen.
Overuse of TV, computer and other media is negatively affecting the
brain development of our children.
6. Increase
the time
children spend in the natural world by at least double.
Nature is
a brain's best friend--it calms stress and builds brain
cells. In
nature the brain hears sounds it can hear no where else.
7. Increase
the time
children spend in spiritual process (the process of understanding the
mysteries of life, and experiencing joy and a sense of
belonging). Sometimes an increase of religious life is
needed,
but sometimes the parents' religion is not fulfilling to the
family--spiritual life benefits from religion but does not require
it. A family can provide its own spiritual discussions,
debates,
and processes.
8. Understand
the
potential toxicity of a child's daily schedule. If he or she
is
running constantly from activity to activity, with bags under the eyes
and no time to be a child, his or her brain is probably under toxic
stress. A twelve year old, for instance, can get what is
needed
from one athletic, one social and one intellectual activity per
day. He or she will also need down time.
9. Understand
and act
against the toxicity of contemporary diet and nutrition. Junk
food in large quantities is toxic to brain development, causing stress
to normal developmental patterns. Many of our contemporary
brain
disorders are affected by elements of diet such as sugar, fats, and
carbohydrates.
10.
Work toward families that are not mainly economy-driven--in which
children are corporate interns being initiated into corporate and
economic life from the day they're born--toward families that are
driven by a holistic approach to child development: care for
the
whole soul of the child.
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