Radiant Balance

This blog post is an excerpt from the forthcoming book “Raising Children in the Midst of Global Crisis: A Compassionate Guidebook for Parenting in Turbulent Times” by Jo delAmor

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In this book we engage parenting as a form of activism. Or, more correctly, what Bayo Akomolafe has termed post activism. It’s about responding to the needs of the world as they are presented in this uniquely pivotal moment by the way we think about and approach parenting. It’s a form of activism that is deeply based in inquiry and sacred reflection.

It is an activism that recognizes that when we approach activism unconsciously, distorted by the mindset that created the problem we seek to “fix” we generally wind up recreating the problem again in a different way. The “work” of this book is not to figure out how to escape the crises of our times or raise perfect kids or to save the world. It is not about ‘getting it right’ or finding the solution.  

This form of parenting is about deeply grasping the reality within which we are raising our children and responding to it authentically.

When speaking about post activism, Bayo Akomolafe says that it’s not really about thinking outside the box, but that it’s about “touching the box.” I take this to mean a process of awakening that allows us to more fully understand the circumstances in which we find ourselves. 

It’s true that we need a new way of seeing, or a new model.

But “thinking outside the box” as a way of escaping our circumstances is actually the same kind of thinking, dressed up in a different outfit.

I recognize what Bayo Akomolafe says about “touching the box” in what happened for me when I tried to leap into sustainability in my early 20s without really understanding what I was trying to leap away from.

This process caused me to become aware of the box of my own conditioning and that of my peers. It showed me how that conditioning expressed itself in our parenting and marriages, undoing the very things we cherished most. It showed me that the work we have to do is to more thoroughly understand the ways in which we were programmed and the wounds we carry so we can heal from the inside out. Slowly, deeply, thoroughly.

In this way our work here is to comprehend the dynamic, pivotal, powerful, precious, precarious, complicated, unfolding, changing reality in which we’re raising our kids so we can actively respond to it.

As we choose to align ourselves with Life and teach our children to live in that alignment we do our small, but important, part to shift the tides of consciousness.

Grounding in this deep awareness gives us the fortitude to actively break cycles of disconnection, disempowerment and abuse.

Breaking these cycles and healing the trauma that we have inherited is difficult work. It takes patience, practice, discipline and humility. There is no right way to do it and it will often not go the way you want it to. It will be exhausting and confusing at times and there will be unexpected challenges around every corner. You may not get the pats on the back or confirmation of your good work for years to come.

That’s what the creation of masterpieces is all about. 

Of all the endeavors you engage in throughout your life, there will be nothing more important for you to do than raise the little humans in your care, to the best of your ability, in a way that will allow their innate human brilliance to take sprout and grow. None of your greatest accomplishments will have more value or influence on the world than the human beings you raise. 

New Paradigm Parenting is a life’s work. It is legacy work. This kind of parenting is, in itself, a profound form of activism that has incalculable effects on the future of our world. It is the greatest gift we can give to the world in service to our lineages and future generations. 

Children raised in this way with dignity and respect, nourished by love, empowered to enact their Life-serving purpose on the planet can grow into adults who can see, feel and think beyond the Power Over Paradigm, allowing the Thriving Life Paradigm to emerge through them and contributing to a Life Sustaining Society.

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This is an excerpt from the forthcoming book Raising Children in the Midst of Global Crisis: A Compassionate Guidebook for Parenting in Turbulent Times by Jo delAmor

Visit this page for more information about this book and to sign up to be notified when it is published and available for sale.

This blog post is an excerpt from the forthcoming book “Raising Children in the Midst of Global Crisis: A Compassionate Guidebook for Parenting in Turbulent Times” by Jo delAmor

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The most powerful thing we can do for our children in these uncertain times is to join them in facing this unprecedented time on Earth with honesty, courage and a lot of love.

The world our children are currently facing is full of confusion, pain and fear. Unless we create something different together we will only experience more of the same.

So, let’s create something different…starting with the way we raise our little ones.

The connection that can be developed between parents and children who explore and learn the world together as partners is profoundly precious.

The opportunity to live our lives in deep partnership with our children is an outrageous blessing bestowed upon every parent. But it’s up to us to recognize it as such and choose to live in that way.

We are here with each other and for each other and will have to face the circumstances of our lives together. If we’re willing, we’ll see that we’re here to learn from each other in countless ways, as well.

Nourishing our connection as allies and collaborators creates an unbreakable lifelong bond and empowers us to respond to the crises we face on Earth in ways we could never do on our own.

If you could wave a magic wand and create a beautiful future from this moment forward for you and your children perhaps your experience would include:

• Feeling confident as a parent and having peace of mind that you’re giving your kids what they need
• Growing closer in love, respect, partnership and connection with your children as they age
• Feeling like you and your kids are part of the solution and that you are helping restore health, sanity and beauty in our society and on the planet
• Your kids being excited about their paths, passionate about their lives and hopeful for their futures

This is not only possible, but it is right at your fingertips.

The inspiration and guidance in this book is designed to empower you to be your children’s greatest advocate and ally as you rise, with them, to meet the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of this unique moment in history.

It’s not going to be easy and it’s not going to be perfect, but you can actually grow closer to your children as they age. Your kids can find their footing in this wild world and you can become a better, stronger, healthier person as you learn together how to care for our world. When you’re engaged in the care of our world the overwhelm eases and everything changes.

To dive deeper into New Paradigm Parenting partnership read “Partnering with Your Children: Part 2”

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This is an excerpt from the forthcoming book Raising Children in the Midst of Global Crisis: A Compassionate Guidebook for Parenting in Turbulent Times by Jo delAmor

Visit this page for more information about this book and to sign up to be notified when it is published and available for sale.

This blog post is an excerpt from the forthcoming book “Raising Children in the Midst of Global Crisis: A Compassionate Guidebook for Parenting in Turbulent Times” by Jo delAmor

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“In a very real way we are writing our own future, the future of our world, on the hearts and minds of our children. Let’s think deeply, love selflessly, and act intentionally to write messages of peace and goodness and generosity of spirit on the hearts and minds of our children, our messengers, our hope for a better tomorrow.”

— L.R. Knost, Whispers Through Time

Messages to the Future

As we come to terms with the brutal intensities of the world our children have been born into and feel all the feelings that realization stirs in us, we can begin to see our place in the world with new eyes. We can begin to see that, as parents, we are planting seeds for the future in every moment of our children’s lives. We understand that the impressions that they form as young children about the world and who they are within it will inform who they are as adults. They will create the parameters of what they think is possible and how they choose to show up in the world. We see that we are writing the future, as L.R. Knost says “on the hearts and minds of our children.”

Moving beyond the Power Over Paradigm and into the cultivation of a Life Sustaining Society will require children who grow into adults with a commitment to collective wellness and mutual thriving. Creating this future in which our children can thrive, along with the rest of the Family of Life, will call for a completely different way of thinking and behaving than the dominant paradigm that we’ve been living in. It will require a deep healing of wounds and dismantling of lies. It will require raising human beings who are not driven by fear, scarcity, trauma and patterns of woundedness. It will require creating different conditions for our children and cultivating particular qualities and strengths in them that will allow them to be capable of truly caring for the Earth, each other and themselves.

The Power Over Paradigm has obscured our perception of the world. It has caused harm and trauma and polluted our minds and hearts as much as it has polluted the water, soil and air. But it has not destroyed the beauty and brilliance in our souls and in the Soul of the World. There is so much beauty still resiliently alive and waiting to be restored. The magic of Life still exists and will persist as we bring ourselves to its loving care. As we dream into the vision of this new Life Sustaining Society let’s consider the characteristics of a paradigm and the human qualities that would sustain life, justice and wellness for all so we can nurture them in our young ones.

I’m sure the list below doesn’t cover every possible quality that the new paradigm will need but as I dream into this potentiality and reflect on the children I’ve cared for these are the qualities that come to my mind and heart. When I look at this list as a whole and imagine a generation of children within whom these qualities flourish, I see a world in which all beings can thrive. I know, from direct experience, that even here in the midst of this dysfunctional society, it’s possible for us, as parents, to influence the development of these qualities in our children. We may or may not be able to knock each and every one of these out of the park, but the more of these qualities our children develop the more resiliently they will navigate their lives and the more healing they will bring to the world.

Wonder, Awe, Reverence and Gratitude

As children of a magnificent, miraculous Universe our most natural and authentic state is awe. I love that Rachel Carson wishes she could call on the fairies to preserve this inborn sense of wonder but recognizes that, in lieu of that, the companionship of an adult who is willing to experience wonder and awe alongside the growing child is what is needed. We are those adults. We are being invited to practice awe and swim in wonder as our children grow. A person in awe is connected to the Source of Life, the sources of our strength and not one easily manipulated by the power plays of the dominant paradigm.

As we explored in our Grounding in Gratitude chapter, teaching our children how to live in a practice of radical gratitude and reverence is a powerfully subversive way to detach from the Power Over Paradigm. It is also a brilliant way to deepen our connection with Life, itself. As our children experience appreciation for the ways in which their life is sustained they learn how the sustenance of Life works and can find their role in the great Web of Life more easily.

Loving Connection, Empathy and Compassion

Children are full of love when they are little. They love their parents and siblings to the moon and back. When that love is returned and children are raised in a loving environment, with encouragement for positive connection they become capable of growing that love far beyond the edges of their immediate families. “Pro-social” human beings that are comfortable with loving connection will definitely be required in order to cultivate a Life Sustaining Society.

As our children grow it is also important to foster their natural tendencies toward empathy and compassion. Most of the children I’ve worked with display an amazing ability to feel for others and a desire to help. As we heal from the damages done by the Power Over Paradigm we need a generation of people who are willing to put themselves in each other’s shoes and help each other grow into a more equitable and mutually beneficial way of living.

Respect, Consent, Equity and Justice

From a very young age (even 1 or 2 years old) children can learn that they have autonomy over their own bodies and other people have autonomy over theirs. We can teach children that each person has a right to their own choices and that, as we make our choices, we need to consider whether they cause harm to others. Teaching our children how to ask permission before touching or taking helps our kids grow into adults that respect themselves and others. This awareness of consent protects our children from predators and keeps our children from being harmful to others.

Making the dismantling of oppression and an understanding of privilege and bias a central part of your parenting will help your children break free from the Power Over Paradigm and see the world through the lens of equity and justice. As we attempt to plant the seeds of a new paradigm in the hearts and minds of our children it is essential to reframe our orientation to power and agency so we can grow a culture in which all are empowered. This work is particularly important if you and your children are part of the dominant, privileged class or sector of a society based on the genocide, enslavement and/or disenfranchisement of others (like if you are white in the USA or Australia, for example). Raising our children to understand that we have inherited an unjust system that needs to be fixed is critical to a future of equity and justice.

Reciprocity, Cooperation and Collaboration

In our Grounding in Gratitude chapter we explored reciprocity as an expression of gratitude for the Earth and towards other people. As we raise our children within this practice we can teach our children to see themselves as being part of a team. Whether the team is made up of a single parent and a single child or it’s a whole big family or it’s a classroom or a neighborhood or the Family of Life, we’re always working with others. This orientation in teamwork helps our kids learn how to bring their gifts to the team generously and graciously receive the gifts of others in the collaboration and cooperation that’s necessary for a Life Sustaining Society.

Humility, Vulnerability and Emotional Fluency

As we move beyond the Power Over Paradigm we begin to understand that true power doesn’t come from force and dominance and that putting on a tough image doesn’t get us very far. True power is a connection to the Source of Life that comes through our intuition and emotions. We can help our children maintain and strengthen their access to these inner channels by teaching them that it is okay to be vulnerable and express their feelings.

You can create a safe environment for expression in your own home by modeling humility and vulnerability and by holding a respectful, loving space for them when they express themselves. As they get older, you can also teach them skills for regulating their energy, staying tuned in to their intuition and inner guidance and expressing their emotions effectively to others. These are the skills necessary for healthy adults and the leaders we need to guide us into a functional way of living.

Curiosity, Critical Thinking, Creativity and Innovative Problem Solving

Our world is full of seemingly unsolvable problems and we basically have to create an entirely different way of living if we are going to survive the collapse of the Power Over Paradigm. We are in need of some very creative problem solving. Fortunately, our children come into the world with a natural propensity for curiosity, critical thinking and creative problem solving. If we encourage this natural gift, rather than squelch it the way conventional education does, there is no telling what remarkably innovative responses they may have to the situation in which we find ourselves.

As our children learn and grow we can stand beside them in wonder. Instead of giving them the answers and showing off what we think we know we can stimulate meaningful inquiry by guiding them through the discovery process. We can suspend our “knowledge” momentarily while they wrestle with a new thought and see what they come up with.

Courage, Confidence, Self-worth, Honor and Dignity

Our children’s lives are not going to be easy. They will encounter many obstacles and many forces that seek to diminish them and make them feel powerless. One of the central tactics of the Power Over Paradigm is to rob its subjects of their honor and dignity. Every single one of us descends from human beings who, at one time, maybe very long ago, knew that they were brilliant, beautiful, sacred members of the Family of Life. Although people like this are wonderful stewards of a Life Sustaining Society, they are not easy to control. As the forces of oppressive empires and colonization ravaged the surface of the Earth they stripped the people of their honor and dignity in every way they possibly could.

For our children to grow beyond the constraints of this dominant paradigm and create a future that feeds Life they will need their natural honor, dignity and self-worth intact. Fortunately it is another natural endowment of every little being and can be cultivated and encouraged as they grow. Teach your children that they are needed in this world. Teach them that they have a purpose and that their lives matter so they can move forward with the courage and confidence they’ll need.

Honesty, Authenticity and Self Expression

Along with self-worth and dignity comes the ability to be honestly and authentically yourself. Each and every one of us comes to Earth with our own special gifts, our own way of seeing and understanding, our own particularities that make us who we are. The world needs each and every one of us, exactly as we are. It is in this diversity of perspective and expression that we really thrive. Diversity makes every system stronger. And, when we are not hemmed in by the prejudices and boxes of an oppressive society we can be much more powerfully beautiful stewards of Life.

There are countless ways that our Power Over Paradigm enforces these boxes and tells our children that they need to hide parts of themselves and fit into one of the pre-programmed boxes that has been designed for them. From relentless genderization and fashion trends to compliance with a consumer economy and political ideologies our kids are inundated with expectations and fabricated answers to the questions of who they are. As parents, we can insulate them to some extent from these external pressures and consciously create space in our homes and families for them to blossom as the authentically individual human beings that they are.

Resilience and Adaptability

We can’t even begin to imagine how much change our children will have to navigate in their lifetimes. All we know is that things are not going to continue on as they have. The Earth simply doesn’t have the resources to keep sustaining an extractive capitalistic human society. So, one way or another, everything is going to change and our kids will have to be resilient and adaptive in order to make it through and be of any use to the world. This is why it’s so essential for us to teach our children how to deal with challenges and hardship gracefully and healthfully. Everyone knows that facing and working through real life challenges is character building, but modern parents often have a hard time staying out of the way enough to allow their children to build character in this way.

Even if we have plenty of money, we should not bend over backwards to create a fantastical childhood of constant pleasure and gratification for our children. It doesn’t serve them at all. In fact, it interferes with their growth and development terribly and creates an unnaturally insatiable appetite for ease. As part of a healthy childhood that prepares a person for the rest of their lives a child should have to learn how to wait, give others a turn, make mistakes, fall down and get hurt, experience disappointment, get bored, etc.. That doesn’t mean we should intentionally create suffering for our children. And it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t let our kids have fun. But if we insulate them too much from the normal discomforts of life and try to make everyday and every moment a magical theme park adventure then we are actually impeding their healthy development and stunting their resilience.

Joy, Humor and Playfulness

Even as our children must struggle and learn from their struggles, they have got to have some fun too! A sense of natural joy, playfulness and an ability to see the humor in any situation may be the quality that helps our kids the most. When we feel connected to the living world and see our lives as an important, but small, part of a grand unfolding this sense of joy comes easily. Humor and lightheartedness are essential to resilience. Without an appreciation for irony, mystery and playfulness we would all be brought to our knees before we even make it through the gate. Being able to laugh at ourselves, try things out and fail, notice the ironic humor of the way life unfolds helps us make it through the more difficult moments we’ll have to face. Feeling joy and carrying joy in our hearts are also essential practices for caring for and sustaining Life.

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When these qualities are cultivated in young people, the natural human spirit that is so alive in them can come through even more strongly. That doesn’t mean that every freedom fighter and youth activist had perfect parenting. It also doesn’t mean that if you nourish these qualities ‘perfectly’ in your children that they’ll save the world with their activism. This is not an all or nothing scenario. This is an opportunity to understand the power, possibility and potential of young people who are informed and supported, young people who have the confidence to be courageous, who have the critical thinking skills and creativity to address some of our biggest challenges and who deeply care about our world and feel a responsibility to Life and future generations. Whether our children’s care for the world plays out on the international stage for all to see or in small, personal, less seen ways, these qualities will guide them and support them in contributing their unique gift to the world.

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This is an excerpt from the forthcoming book Raising Children in the Midst of Global Crisis: A Compassionate Guidebook for Parenting in Turbulent Times by Jo delAmor

Visit this page for more information about this book and to sign up to be notified when it is published and available for sale.

This blog post is an excerpt from the forthcoming book “Raising Children in the Midst of Global Crisis: A Compassionate Guidebook for Parenting in Turbulent Times” by Jo delAmor

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Joanna Macy, wise eldress, scholar and root teacher of the Work That Reconnects, describes the situation we’re living in through the lens of a few different stories that define our current reality. Two of those stories are ‘Business As Usual’ and ‘The Great Unravelling.’ These stories operate side by side, simultaneously, on a global scale and in our personal lives.

Business As Usual is the story of the status quo within what Joanna Macy calls the Industrial Growth Society. It is ‘the way things are.’ It is the water we swim in. It is the cultural paradigm that runs our world. It is the underlying assumptions and biases we carry and aren’t even aware of. It is the indoctrination we receive from our major institutions of government, industry, media, education, etc. It is the sense that things have always been pretty much like this and they couldn’t really be otherwise. It is the sense that things will continue on in generally the same manner, with developments and innovations in technology, of course, because perpetual growth and development is one of the pillars of Business As Usual. It is the assurance that any dip in the stock market or natural disaster is just a temporary setback and everything will quickly be restored to normalcy once we get through it. It is the “follow the rules and do your best and everything will work out alright for you.” It is the just getting by and making ends meet, day by day. It is the will to wake up and try again tomorrow. It is the trying to fit in and keep up with the neighbors. It is the focus on the next quarter’s bottom line and the results of the next big political election.

The Great Unravelling is the story of collapse and crisis. It is the deadly rise in global temperatures and ensuing climate chaos. It is the extreme frequency of hundred year floods, catastrophic hurricanes and devastating wildfires. It is the millions of people in the streets of cities around the world protesting injustice and corruption. It is the millions of people in the streets because they can’t afford a roof over their heads and the millions of people that have to work two or three jobs just to barely scrape by to keep a roof over their own heads. It is the torrent of climate refugees and political asylum seekers fleeing unlivable circumstances of violence, persecution and destruction. It is the continuing regularity of mass shootings in our schools, houses of worship and public spaces. It is the very rapid increase of suicide attempts and suicidal ideation in children as young as five years old. It is all that is precious in our world falling apart. It’s the unsustainable practices of Business As Usual revealing just how unsustainable they are.

Both of these stories are very real and actively playing out in our world. We hold these two stories with tension in our hearts and daily lives.

If we’re living and raising our children within lifestyles of relative comfort it can be incredibly hard to allow the Great Unravelling to fully land in our consciousness. When there’s a roof over your head and food in the refrigerator it is difficult to acknowledge that you and your children (and the rest of the beings on the planet) are in imminent, life-threatening danger. We’re like the fabled frogs boiling in a pot on the stove. If the frogs had been thrown suddenly into boiling water they would have jumped out right away. But if they are set in lukewarm water and the temperature slowly increases to the point of boiling they’ll just hang out and let themselves get boiled to death.

Each year our collective situation becomes more dire and the Earth gets hotter, in increments that we adjust to, just like those frogs in the pot. As I write this book, here in the early months of 2020, NASA informs us that Antarctica is getting hit by a glacier-melting-heatwave that brought its temperature up to “64.9 degrees Fahrenheit — matching that day’s temperature in Los Angeles.” Likewise, NOAA reports that, “In the span of 141 years of climate records, there has never been a warmer January than last month” (Jan 2020) and “the five hottest Augusts on record have all occurred since 2014.” News of catastrophic climate change has almost become commonplace in the last twenty years. We hear it but it fails to penetrate the trance of Business As Usual in any significant way.

As I complete the writing of this book, in March of 2020, the Coronavirus is spreading across the face of the globe quite rapidly and causing the largest disruption of Business As Usual that I’ve ever experienced or witnessed. Of course, I don’t know what will happen between this moment I’m in as I write and the moment you’re in right now as you read this book. I don’t know the extent of the devastation that may occur or whether the global economy will bounce back and pick up where it left off with Business As Usual.

But, here in this moment, we’re experiencing the most massive, worldwide disruption of almost every facet of our economy and society that we have ever experienced, bringing the Great Unravelling and Business As Usual squarely into the spotlight.

We are being told to refrain from our “normal activities” from gathering in crowds to going to work and school. The whole world is on a sort of forced holiday (or some may say Holy days). In my adult life I’ve become quite accustomed to “emergency announcements,” as I’m sure you have, as well. End of the world predictions and major catastrophes seem to come and go and somehow Business As Usual keeps chugging along. It’s obsessive. Determined. Maniacal. But, so far, this virus has interrupted Business As Usual across the entire world more than anything we’ve experienced. It is showing us how radically interconnected we are and how we can choose to pull out of the Business As Usual frenzy if we have to. And it’s showing us that when we do it has a huge impact.

China’s response to the sudden outbreak has been rapid and wide scale quarantine. The resulting slow in factory production has been enough to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reveal clear skies over the cities for the first time in many people’s lives. Air travel has been suspended to many locations and new restrictions are being announced every day. The stock market is in a free fall. Schools have been canceled. Businesses have closed their doors. People are staying at home with their families.

The Vatican has cancelled all masses for at least a month, including public participation in Holy Week and Easter services. Saudi officials have banned all pilgrimages to Mecca and Iran has canceled Friday prayers in major cities. Disney’s theme parks have been closed for only the third time in their history (the other two times were just after the assasination of JFK and just after the 9-11 attacks). The St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City has been postponed for the first time in its 258 year history. Broadway has shut down.

Until now, the individual symptoms of the Great Unravelling have either been isolated to specific regions or they have been happening just gradually enough for us to adjust to. We’ve been able to maintain a certain amount of denial about the urgency of our situation. We’ve been gradually stewing in our frog pot of Business As Usual because it’s the only thing we know and the thought of jumping out has seemed impossible. But this pandemic has shown us what it might look like to collectively shake loose of the habits of Business As Usual. Even if the changes it caused prove to be temporary, it has broken the spell of inevitability that we’ve been caught in day after day, year after year, generation after generation. We have had a glimpse of what could happen if we made different choices on a global scale. This pandemic and the countless other converging global crises we are experiencing are the consequences of Business As Usual gathering around us like the water coming to a boil in our frog pot. In the midst of it all it is difficult and painful to maintain our sense of perspective and focus, but as parents, we can’t hide from these realities.

As parents we’re bound to a commitment to the future.

Even though caring for children can feel like an extreme act of being in the present moment and is often all-consuming, as we work tirelessly to address the immediate needs of the kids in our care, parenting is necessarily connected to the future. We are, after all, raising and educating these children to become adults. Childhood is supposed to be a small portion of their overall life experience. We are nourishing and preparing them for their future. We are supporting their growth and development to move through and beyond childhood into the rest of their (hopefully long and happy) lives. We are raising human beings, not just kids.

Part of the challenge of raising children right now is that all of our basic needs are wrapped up in the planet-destroying-dominator-machine. The food, shelter and clothing we need to provide for our children comes from industries that wreak havoc on the Earth and are rooted in horrifying economic and social injustice. Most of the media, toys and education available to us perpetuate the beliefs that justify the destruction of our Earth. And our basic ability to exist and function within society depends on a level of complicity with this destructive society. It is challenging (if not impossible) for anyone to truly separate themselves from entanglement with Business As Usual, but for parents the draw and entanglement can become particularly strong. As we bring our awareness to this predicament it’s important to understand that it is not going to be an all or nothing scenario. We are not going to be able to raise our children without complicity to or influence from this society.

And, yet, we can make choices that plant the seeds of a new and different way of living in the hearts of our children.

On the global scale we can see that Business As Usual is actually causing the Great Unraveling. It is the idea that we can continue to carry on with this extractive economy and endlessly plunder the earth and despoil the water and the air and that it’s somehow ok because it’s ‘what we’ve always done.’ This circular logic identifies the quarterly bottom line as the sole indicator of success even though it’s a completely fictitious concept that relies on never accounting for the true costs of industry.

As parents who want to raise healthy children it’s important to become aware of how this same logic plays out in the microcosm of our households and our childrens’ lives.

Our own lives and the lives of our kids are reflections of the world. Many parents get drawn into the Business As Usual trap of spending all their energy and focus on giving kids what they ‘want’ and trying to help them feel ‘normal.’ But ‘normal’ is doomed and their desires are often manipulated by the same industry that is destroying the Earth and their chance at a future. If we just try to carry on with Business As Usual we are sealing the deal for the symptoms of the Great Unraveling to take root in their lives. As parents we can choose to pay attention to these patterns and interrupt them right in the midst of our own households and relationships with our children.

We have to do something different if we want different results.

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This is an excerpt from the forthcoming book Raising Children in the Midst of Global Crisis: A Compassionate Guidebook for Parenting in Turbulent Times by Jo delAmor

Visit this page for more information about this book and to sign up to be notified when it is published and available for sale.