Parenting with Heart

“Parenting with Heart” is written by Kathy Marshall Emerson.

“Parenting with Heart” is a simple guide to doing our best as parents. The message is not magical, but every parent and every child regardless of age can experience ordinary magic in their shared lives. What all children and youth need most is parenting with heart. Despite what we may think, every parent and every child is born with the capacity for happiness and well-being. “Parenting with Heart” points to the path for finding your own happiness and relating well to your child.

Kathy Marshall Emerson, Director of the National Resilience Resource Center, had difficulty finding really effective, practical, brief parenting resources to uncover this path. The professionals in schools and communities she worked with were at a loss to increase parent involvement. Parents were distressed by conflicts with their children. She set about creating “Parenting with Heart” to individually support parents who are looking for answers in their own families.

The booklet is intentionally brief, colorful with photos, and designed for a diverse readership. It does not require long hours of reading. There are just six short chapters—each just two or three pages long. These include parents finding hope, parenting with hope, understanding your own thinking and personal resilience, separate realities, listening beyond words, navigating moods, and keeping your bearings for the long haul. The focus is on “getting it”—understanding how parenting really works. There are no artificial lists of shoulds and how tos.

Small groups of parents, with a volunteer member or professional facilitator, may also wish to hold weekly in person or online discussions. One common, simple discussion agenda is provided for meetings. Parents themselves, or professionals from schools, faith communities, or human service agencies may organize parent discussion groups. Brief online facilitator orientation may be arranged with the author.

Parenting with Heart is carefully written to align with sound resilience research and practical principles describing how parents and children operate from the inside out. Selected excerpts from presentations by author of “The Missing Link”, Sydney Banks address parenting. Responses from parents and children, and selected references are included for further reading.