by John Kehoe & Nancy Fischer
A self-help book for parents and children alike
Reviewed by: Paul A. Paterson
About Paul A. Paterson
John Kehoe became an internationally renowned writer and lecturer when his first book, Mind Power Into The 21st Century launched in 1997. Simplistically categorized as a revamp of The Power Of Positive Thinking, Kehoe argues that, for the most part, the human brain is underutilized by most people. With this book, he expands his ideas and applies them to ways parents can help their children overcome fear, establish good habits and even fend off illness.
The book contains simple ways parents can model positive images, rather than reinforce negative images. For example, Kehoe says, instead of correcting your child with a negative reference ("Don't make noise), do so with a positive reference ("Please play quietly"). While such suggestions are common place in current parenting philosophy, Kehoe goes farther, arguing that the child's brain actually processes each request differently. Hearing what they should not do merely reinforces the negative behavior, while hearing what they should do instead reinforces the good behavior.
It's in the area of physical health that Kehoe makes his most interesting, if controversial, claims. In theory, Kehoe suggests visualization and meditation can actually help the healing process, an idea that has some basis in medical fact. But the writer offers some simple ways parents can reinforce positive health thinking so children begin to view themselves as healthy individuals who occasionally get sick, rather than a sick child with occasional healthy periods. Kehoe also deals with visualization, an approach used regularly by high-performance athletes. He suggests a child can alleviate the stress associated with a test by simply writing the test over and over in their mind in the days leading up to the test day.
Written in an easy, accessible style, this is a worthwhile read for any parent with children of any age. It is packed with concrete, real-world suggestions to take the theory off the page and into your everyday life.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Mind Power For Children
Copyright © by Paul A. Paterson, 2002
Reviewed by Paul A. Paterson:
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