Feb. 22, 2009 - A Review of Rick Osborne's Parenting at the Speed of Life
This little book was published by Focus on the Family. It is small, but it is packed with lots of great, practical ideas for getting closer to your children and drawing their hearts
close to you. He made the book small on purpose. It contains 60 short essays about good parenting tips so that it only takes a few minutes to read each one.
He believes that we can make a difference in the "minutes" that we spend with our children intentionally focusing on them and showing them how much we love them and how special they are to us. He calls it "moment parenting".
One idea that I had never thought about concerns hugging. It's essay number 26 in the book. It's entitled "If It Breathes, Hug It!" 
He quotes a much-quoted marriage and family therapist (unknown to me) who said, "For human beings, you need two (2) hugs a day to survive, four (4) hugs for maintenance, six (6) hugs to grow." He goes on to talk about some personal examples of how keeping this quote in mind has improved his relationships with his children. He has made a habit of hugging all of his children every time he passes them in the house or whenever they come into hugging range. He says he feels more loved by his children and that they feel more loved by him.
Now, this is a tip that I can apply easily in my life. It doesn't take much time at all, and it's easy to do. I know that this has been a weak area in my parenting, showing physical affection. If I can remember that therapist's quote, I'm sure I will dispense hugs more liberally throughout the day, even to my big kids. It will be good for them and for me.
There are a lot more great ideas in this book by Rick Osborne. I read several at a time, because it really is a page-turner. Rick has such an engaging style. He's very friendly and open and makes you feel like you know him. The ideas he shares are sure to improve your parenting if you do them. They are so do-able because of their simplicity and how little time they take or how they can be done while you're doing something else that you would have to do anyway.
Comments
Mar. 13, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Canadagirl
Thanks for sharing this ! I NEED to apply this starting NOW.
Missing you my SSiC ((HUGS))
-Mary
