The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings To Raise Self-Reliant Children » (Reprint)

Wendy Mogel, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, lectures widely to parents, teachers, rabbinical students, and mental health professionals on meeting the challenges of modern family life. She is a member of the board of directors of the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education, a century-old national organization serving independent schools. Dr. Mogel lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, author and filmmaker Michael Tolkin, and their daughters. Visit Wendy Mogel on the World Wide Web at www.wendymogel.com.

In the trenches of a typical day, every parent encounters a child afflicted with ingratitude and entitlement. In a world where material abundance abounds, parents want so badly to raise self-disciplined, appreciative, and resourceful children who are not spoiled by the plentitude around them. But how to accomplish this feat? The answer has eluded the best-intentioned mothers and fathers who overprotect, overindulge, and overschedule their children's lives.

Dr. Mogel helps parents learn how to turn their children's worst traits into their greatest attributes. Starting with stories of everyday parenting problems and examining them through the lens of the Torah, the Talmud, and important Jewish teachings, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee shows parents how to teach children to honor their parents and to respect others, escape the danger of overvaluing children's need for self-expression so that their kids don't become "little attorneys," accept that their children are both ordinary and unique, and treasure the power and holiness of the present moment.

It is Mogel's singular achievement that she makes these teachings relevant for any era and any household of any faith. A unique parenting book, designed for use both in the home and in parenting classes, with an on-line teaching guide to help facilitate its use, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee is both inspiring and effective in the day-to-day challenge of raising self-reliant children.

Contents

Author Notes

1. How I Lost One Faith and Found Another
2. The Blessing of Acceptance: Discovering Your Unique and Ordinary Child
3. The Blessing of Having Someone to Look Up To: Honoring Mother and Father
4. The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Why God Doesn't Want You to Overprotect Your Child
5. The Blessing of Longing: Teaching Your Child an Attitude of Gratitude
6. The Blessing of Work: Finding the Holy Sparks in Ordinary Chores
7. The Blessing of Food: Bringing Moderation, Celebration, and Sanctification to Your Table
8. The Blessing of Self-Control: Channeling Your Child's Yetzer Hara
9. The Blessing of Time: Teaching Your Child the Value of the Present Moment
10. The Blessings of Faith and Tradition: Losing Your Fear of the G Word and Introducing Your Child to Spirituality

Notes

Recommended Reading

Index