I mentioned Naomi Aldort's book Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves a few posts back. Here are a few quotes from the first chapter that have made me think about the way I love my children.

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"Control is ineffective because humans resist it by their very nature. Whether it is gentle coercion or covert manipulation, the very control we use causes the problems we are trying to solve. Most parents already know how to control children gently. What we don't know is how NOT to control them and live in peace and joy with them."

"Such love is unconditional - loving your child, not your idea of how he should be. Love is only love when there are no conditions. The moment love is used as a reward for behaviour or achievement, it ceases to be love and instead becomes a lesson in give and take. ...Loving unconditionally is its own reward."

"Parenting is much simpler when we realise that children come here already designed to bloom in their own unique ways. In this book you will find great relief from the impossible duty of shaping humans. God doesn't goof: it is not your job to turn an infant into an adult human over twenty years. It is your responsibility and privilege to care and nurture a human being while she grows."