By Marcy Axness, Ph.D.

A towering question lives today in the minds and hearts of young people, perhaps more strongly than ever before in human history, as they feel the growing shadow of our global human and environmental crises: "Is there anything I can do to change the world?"

A few years from now, these same young folks may ask another question: "Do I really want to bring a child into today’s world?" Each generation’s challenges seem more daunting than anything that has come before, but indeed, any thoughtful person contemplating parenthood in the 21st century has many stark and vivid reasons to ask this question. Our world today presents more complex challenges than ever before, with imbalance and complications seeming to grow at an exponential speed. The real question on the minds of future parents is, "Will my child survive in today’s world? And in tomorrow’s?"\

What if there were a handful of uncomplicated-and amazingly little known-principles that would assure you that the answer to all of these questions can be a resounding Yes? What if you could feel confident that with these principles at work in your life and in your future parenting, you and your child will not only survive but thrive in a world of ever-changing complexities and challenges? And that a young generation—of parents and children—living with these principles will have what it takes to make sure our world itself also survives, and thrives?

The status quo of today’s culture exerts tremendous pressure on well-meaning parents to make choices that simply aren’t good for kids, or for our future as a human family.

But knowledge is empowering: Heartened by the promise of simple principles backed by leading-edge research, parents (and future parents) can feel confident in their ability to raise children who are “hardwired for peace.”

I have a proposition for you: If you’re deeply concerned about today’s world and where it’s going… if you feel like something more is needed to heal our social and environmental issues…if you feel like you want to participate in a “solution revolution” but don’t quite know how…then as Gandhi so famously urged, be the change you want to see in the world, and raise children whose very beings are woven from that change. Raise the generation who has what it takes to turn this world around…..Excerpt from the forthcoming book:

Parenting for Peace

Marcy Axness, Ph.D. is a Mountain Communities resident with an international reputation in early childhood development. She teaches at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, providing training in the latest research in developmental neuroscience for education, childcare, adoption and mental health professionals.

She is offering a 7-week course in parenting at the Family Resource Center meeting room in Frazier Park, with a free reception at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9. The class starts on Saturday, Sept. 10 (10 a.m. to noon, with tuition on a sliding scale). Call 245-4303 for more details.

This is part of the September 02, 2011 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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