IF THE BUDDHA HAD KIDS® by Charlotte Kasl

 
Not having children I don’t read very much that deals with raising youngsters but I do scan over such books and pass along the titles to family and friends who have children.

One such book I recently came across is IF THE BUDDHA HAD KIDS®: RAISING CHILDREN TO CREATE A MORE PEACEFUL WORLD by bestselling author Charlotte Kasl, Ph. D. Using spiritual guidelines as well as practical advice, Kasl encourages parents to raise their children to be peacemakers in a turbulent world and her newest book will inspire readers to keep coming back for advice for years to come. 

Here’s what some are saying about the next installment in the If the Buddha® series:
“What a beautiful, rich and wise book on parenting. Charlotte’s interpretations and applications of the Buddha’s teachings give deep relevance and power to parenting. I plan to read and re-read it, hoping that it is not too late to re-parent myself. Then I shall send copies to my grown children and all involved in formulating public policy.”  --  Cynthia B. Aten, MD, Former Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and of Nursing, Yale University.  
 
"Dr. Kasl provides a wonderful blend of Buddhist wisdom, practical suggestions, psychological research, and her own rich perspective of being a mother. Parents will find this book very helpful in their efforts in promoting healthy brain development."  —  John Arden, PhD author of Rewire Your Brain 
 
“This is a brilliant book. If all legislators and policy makers would take it  to heart we would change our policies on maternity/parental leave, early childhood education, health care, and our approach  to every level of education. We could then stop building prisons and spend the money on the foundation of our society—all of our children.”  --  Carol Williams, First woman majority and minority leader of the Montana Senate.

Now a brief description of the book:
After dating, getting married, and becoming unstuck, what’s next? Well, having a baby of course! In IF THE BUDDHA HAD KIDS ®: Raising Children to Create a More Peaceful World (ISBN: 978-0-14-311631-8; also available as an eBook), author Charlotte Kasl continues her bestselling series of IF THE BUDDHA…books by showing us how to put Buddhist principles into practice as parents. 

According to Kasl, if we bring peacefulness to our parenting, it will become internalized in our children and will in turn enable our children to equate power, happiness, and success with stretching themselves, finding their passion, caring for others, being resourceful, and working in community with others. It’s the antithesis of imposing rules, scripts, and values in a dogmatic way: teaching by example and helping children think for themselves. It’s something that parents of children of any age—from tantrum throwing toddlers to texting teenagers—can use.  

IF THE BUDDHA HAD KIDS ® examines parenting from the earliest stages onward—even raising important questions for those considering parenthood or trying to conceive. From birth, babyhood and beyond, Kasl helps new parents cope with early fears and worries as well as offering advice to parents of older children and teenagers looking for new strategies to deal with issues such as acting out, anxiety, depression, bullying and more. 

Kasl also offers solutions for teachers or parents looking to help children struggling in school and even discusses what may be one of the most sensitive subjects for many parents—how to talk about the body and sexuality in a positive way so as to encourage openness on these subjects rather than a feeling that they are taboo. 

No parenting book would be complete in this day and age if it did not cover social media and Kasl offers ideas and solutions to the problems that frequently that can come into play with children making use of new media without proper oversight or guidance. She also confronts subjects such as money and budgeting, relationships with food and body image and ends the book with a chapter entitled “My Parents Rock” including true stories from kids about what they love about their parents.  

Like her previous BUDDHA titles, IF THE BUDDHA HAD KIDS ® includes exercises for readers to apply to their own lives and is filled with wonderful quotes that will inspire readers and keep them coming back to this book for advice as their children grow older.

Kasl, Ph.D., a practicing therapist, workshop leader for 25 years, and bestselling author, has had lifelong connections to feminism, Buddhism, Quaker practice, and Reiki healing. Her BUDDHA series of books have sold over 400, 000 copies to date and include If the Buddha Married ® and If the Buddha Dated ®. She lives in Lolo, Montana.

For more information on Kasl and her writing, visit her website at www.charlottekasl.com or www.penguin.com. If the Buddha® is a registered trademark of Charlotte Kasl.

If you’re a parent or grandparent, do you read books on raising youngsters. If so, has there been one book in particular that was helpful? Thanks so much for stopping by today.