When I hear the word “spiritual”, it makes me a bit squeamish. To me, spirituality is such a personal and usually specific aspect of one’s life that I find general tips on teaching “spirituality” to your children to be misguided. Read on to see how this lone parenting manual really stood out from the others.

First off, let me assure you that this book is not a step-by-step book on indoctrination or how to prosthelytize. It isn’t specific to any particular faith, but holds the key to sharing truths with your child through natural experiences and compassion towards others. It could easily be used to promote your own faith (assuming that it is rooted in ideals of love and a higher being.) I see no reason why the concepts in the book couldn’t be part of exploring most any of the major religions (and some of the lesser known ones) with your child. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, here’s what I thought of 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child’s Soul.

I read 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting from a Christian perspective, as this is what is taught in our home. I was not looking for this book to provide theological explanations or Biblical law. It is a book that really provides practical and nonjudgmental advice on good parenting, and could be used by parents of most any faith.

Topics covered in the book include:

"Know That God Cares for You"

"Trust and Teach That All Life Is Connected and Has a Purpose"

"Create a Flexible Structure”

"Listen to Your Child"

"Words Are Important, Use Them With Care"

"Make Each Day a New Beginning"

Full of simple and practical activities to help your child understand their place in this big, big world, 10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting is right on the mark. I especially loved the kid quotes scattered throughout that tell us what kids think of such large concepts as God, death, and love.

Sure to teach all who read it, and very careful to not offend (without diluting the message), this was a surprisingly awesome read. (Available online at Amazon.com and most book retailers.)