All You Need is Love

'I accept and love you the way you are. You are unique, you are different, and you are you. I will not compare you with others, I will not constantly keep expecting and demanding what you might not be able to do or give.'

As parents, we foist our dreams and aspirations on our children, push them to be more than we could ever be. But do we have the courage and honesty to look within and ask what drives our parenting - our own needs or those of our children? More crucially, are we able to accept them and respect them for who they are?

Child & adolescent psychologist and family therapist Shelja Sen formulates five anchors of parenting to help you connect with the immense wisdom that is already present in you:

Connect (create the foundation of parenting);

Coach (build the necessary skills in children through an understanding of their unique wiring and temperament);

Care (nurture ourselves for a more wholesome life);

Community (build caring ecosystems for children to thrive in); and

Commit (sustain the courage and compassion).

Groundbreaking, essential reading.