Roots and Wings

Resources for parents and educators

Roots and Wings

€22.00

Important: If you are ordering three copies or more, please contact me for bespoke shipping arrangements.

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The experience of childhood has changed dramatically over the last decades. Children and teenagers are presented with many exciting opportunities, but they also face new challenges and are often asked to meet impossible standards set by their peers and promoted by advertising and the media. Roots and Wings equips parents and educators to teach children the skills they need to understand and navigate modern life with confidence. Topics covered include:

• building and maintaining self-esteem in a materialistic and competitive society
• dealing with new family structures and parenting styles
• understanding the influence of social media and technology
• recognising and tackling mental health issues
• creating healthy parent–child relationships
• encouraging and modelling kindness

For children to grow into compassionate, confident, happy adults, they must have role-models who demonstrate self-care and care for those around them. Roots and Wings draws on the principles of mindfulness that will help both you and your child achieve greater peace and belonging, both within your relationship and in a society that seems increasingly exclusive. Simple but effective strategies that employ techniques such as connecting with nature, teaching emotional intelligence and paying attention to what is present in and around us will provide you with a toolkit that you can easily tailor to your circumstances, either at home or in educational and childcare settings.

Roots and Wings is an invaluable resource for parents, teachers and everyone involved in caring for young people and interested in creating a happier, more balanced society

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Background information

I have always been interested in education and raising children as best as we can as a society. I was introduced to mindfulness over ten years ago when I had personally hit a wall with my own mental health issues and ever since I have been of the strong belief that a mindful lifestyle should be a part of everybody’s life. Attitudes such as kindness, compassion, non-judging, patience and acceptance are life-skills that could contribute greatly to positive changes in our fast-paced society. Modern day challenges such as the influence of technology, the internet, social media and significant changes in lifestyle have had a big impact on how children grow up nowadays and we as parents and educators need to step up and equip our children with necessary life skills to navigate these turbulent times.

This book started out as something entirely different. Initially I had planned to compile a mindfulness programme for families rather than a book. Well, this “thing” had a mind of its own as it just wouldn’t go where I wanted it to go. So I had to take my own “mindfulness” advice and accept things as they were developing and just go with the flow. It was a great experience because the writing process felt as if I was writing a guide for myself, for my parenting and my work as a teacher. It really focused me on what I believe is truly important for raising resilient, compassionate and happy children and in the meantime not forgetting about ourselves. I love the quote by Eleanor Brownn: “Self care is not selfish – We can’t serve from an empty vessel”, and it is so true that it is most important to take care of ourselves in order to be truly available for our children. With this book I hope that I can give some ideas and impulses which can be easily introduced into our everyday lives and routines. This isn’t about giving our lives an instant radical overhaul, it’s about starting to make a positive change one small step at a time. Mindfulness isn’t the cure for all, but the different components and attitudes can make a big difference in the way we approach life and give us and our children the necessary skills to weather the storms with a little more ease. It will also help us to be more present and enjoy all the great people and beautiful things that are already enriching our lives right in this very moment.