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Paperback
March 2005
9781855841260
More details
- Publisher
Rudolf Steiner Press - Published
1st March 2005 - ISBN 9781855841260
- Language English
- Pages 192 pp.
$20.00
The primary contention of this book is that, as spiritual beings, we all live beyond death and eventually return to earth in new human bodies. With this in mind, the authors give sound practical advice as to how parents—or anyone who spends time with children—can welcome souls into the world and help them grow into healthy, responsible human beings.
Mainstream educational policies and practices can cause children to be pushed prematurely into adulthood before they have a chance to truly experience childhood. The authors demonstrate that a true understanding of the human being as body, soul, and spirit leads to the knowledge that every child should be allowed to grow gradually into the world.
“One of the main purposes of this book,” write the authors, “is to demonstrate that human beings are primarily of spiritual nature, and only secondarily of bodily nature.” They explain how these two natures complement each other in the processes of maturation and development, from the period before birth and incarnation into maturity. With a firm philosophical grounding, the authors discuss key questions related to prenatal and antenatal phases, including those connected with clothing, food, play, work, technology, and discipline.
C O N T E N T S:
Foreword
1. Welcome to Our World!
The miracle of Birth
The Crown of Creation
Assistance from the Spiritual Worlds
“Out of the Everywhere into Here!”
The Eternal Spirit Can Never Be Born
Were You a Wanted Child?
2. Gateway to the World
Pregnancy as a Creative Deed
The Mixed Blessings of Pregnancy
Don’t Forget Father!
Be Conscious of What You Chose to Do
Where Will Your Baby Be Born?
Why Induction?
And What about the Hustle and Bustle?
Soften the Harsh Outlines of the World
Grasping Situations
Remember Your Child Has Chosen YOU!
3. Getting Priorities Right
Seeds of Stress
Treatment on Arrival
A Daily Bath is Not Necessary
Swaddling Is Sensible
Not on Its Stomach, please!
What about those “Comforters”?
No Noise, please—for Baby’s Sake!
Exercises for the Baby?
A Hardening Process Is an Aging Process
The Vexed Question of Toilet Training
A Human Being Grows up Slowly
Love Has Been Devalued
4. Some Advice You May Not Need
So Tired!
Peace at Any Price?
Why Is Your Baby Crying?
Crying and Attention Seeking
Goodnight Rhythms
The Comfort of the Known
Sensory Overload Plus
A Child Sets Its Own Developmental Limits
Time and Space to Grow...
Avoid Promoting Independence too Soon
Imitation as a Formative Force
Working with Love for the Task
Learning Self-control
By Way of a Review
5. Is Your Baby Fashion-conscious?
Blood and Fire
Clothes for the Newborn Baby
Several Changes of Clothes
No Hat Equals Problems
Decades Later, Health May Suffer
Check the Way the Garments Are Made
Natural Materials Feel Good
Is Your Baby Really Fashion-conscious?
The Outer Becomes the Inner
6. Food Matters
Off to a Good Start
Breast-feeding versus Bottle Feeding
Digestive Upsets Are a Cause for Concern
Will-full Behavior
Proper Weaning Is Vital
Nothing but the Best!
Is Meat a Dietary Necessity?
A Special Word about Eggs
The Formation of Eating Habits
Recapitulatory Overview
Instant, convenient—and Junk
Food as a Sacrament
7. From Play to Work
Play is a Serious Business
Rigid Playthings Lead to Rigid Thinking
Stimulating Imagination
Babies Do not Get Bored
A New World for Baby
Moving Toys for Toddlers
Those Awful “Comic” Characters!
Repetition Is Important
Play is Work
Art for a Child
Every Picture Tells a Story
Outer Noises Stifle Inner Quiet
Is Sport Such a Good Thing?
The Kindergarten—a Social Milieu
As Grandparents Would, so Kindergarten Should
Social Skills
8. Discipline: From Diversion to Negotiation
Good Habits and Discipline
A Changing Scene
Tired and Scratchy
Working toward Independence
No One Can Reason with a Small Child
Moralizing Does Not Work
Don’t Tidy Up after Your Child
The Will Wants Power
Watch the Signs
Does Your Child Ask Questions All Day?
Imaginative Stories
No Extraneous “Bribes,” please
Nine or Ten—Such a Sensitive Age
Anger, Frustration, and Temper Tantrums
Stand Firm in the Face of Argument
Punishment or Reward
Most Parents Do Their Best
Baby-rearing Is Now Big Business
9. Technology—a Mixed Blessing?
We Cannot Put the Clock Back
The “Flushing Toilet” Syndrome
Television Is Nos Substitute for Mum or Dad
Arguments against Television
The Alien in Our Home
Television Hinders Proper Child Development
Television Is a Lie to Our Organism
Created Zombies
More Insidious Effects of Television
Insomnia
Television as Teacher?
Computers are Compulsive
Video “Games” Are Anything But
10. Courage and Fear
Courage: What Is It?
Have Courage for the Truth
Classical Literature Contains Truths
Human Relationships Are Not Easy
Our Collapsing Society
The Problem of Pain and Illness
“Riddle of Destiny...”
Our Urge to Know and Understand
Hope and Despair
Notes and References
Suggestions for Further Reading
Gilbert Childs
Dr. Gilbert Childs attended the Steiner/Waldorf teacher-training course at Michael Hall in the UK after war service. He later studied at four universities, his doctoral thesis being "Steiner Education as Historical Necessity." After teaching at state and Steiner/Waldorf schools, Dr. Childs tutored for twenty years in a continuing-education college for severely physically disabled students. In his retirement, he is a full-time author and an avid gardener.
Sylvia Childs
Sylvia Childs, BEd, MA, DipTchg (Waikato, New Zealand) had eleven years' experience of teaching children of all ages. During this time she became convinced of the viability of Steiner's educational philosophy, and the great responsibility parents and teachers bear for their part in forming the destiny of the children entrusted to them. Sylvia Childs passed away in 1996.
