Brave Parenting: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide to Raising Emotionally Resilient Children Paperback - 2014

Because we cannot control the whole world, cushion our childâÈçs every step, and remove every obstacle from his or her path, we need to give our children the internal resources to surmount their own barriers.

Parents today often feel that their role is to protect their children from the world: to cushion them when they fall, to lift them over obstacles, and to remove sharp rocks from their path. But controlling a childâÈçs entire environment and keeping all pain at bay isnâÈçt feasibleâÈ'we canâÈçt prepare the world for our children, so instead we should focus on preparing our children for the world. âÈêThe solution is not removing impediments from our childrenâÈçs lives,âÈë writes Krissy Pozatek, âÈêit is compassionately encouraging them to be brave.âÈë We need to show our kids how to navigate their own terrain.
If our kids face small hurdles, small pains, at a young age and learn to overcome these obstacles, they will be much better equipped to face larger trouble later in life. Early lessons in problem solving teach self-confidence and self-relianceâÈ'and show us that our kids are tougher than we think. Krissy draws her lessons from her experience guiding children in wilderness therapy and from her Buddhist practiceâÈ'showing us that all life is as unpredictable as mountain weather, that impermanence is the only constant, and that the most loving act a parent can do is fearlessly ready their child to face the wilderness.