Harmony in the House: A Family Values Model (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780970823977)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I am neither a psychiatrist nor have I had special training in parenting. Although close observation of parenting and over ten years of researching authoritative sources has informed me, my method of parenting is primarily based on my practical experience. In my fathering of five children, I have watched them all grow into positive and responsible adults. I can say this because my older son is a mortgage loan originator, older daughter is a manager of vacation homes, and younger son is a radiologist for two hospitals, younger daughter a lawyer, now raising a family, and youngest daughter now raising a family after 6 years as a national coordinator, Washington, DC. They are all respected individuals in their communities. My children are from two families, the first being two children, a son and daughter. I was a young naïve father and relied heavily on my experience growing up with parents who were excellent parenting models. I valued the wisdom of my parents and tried to apply that to my own parenting style. With my second family, I found a way to communicate what I thought was important through teachable moments and family meetings. Basically, I held that we must honor our self-interest while interacting agreeably and by being kind to one another. It became a Family Plan that we all developed together. It simplified our lives and reduced chances for misunderstanding and conflict. And it has been my delight to see my children, as parents, echoing many of the principles we talked about as they grew up.