Robert A. Saul - Conscious Parenting: Using the Parental Awareness Threshold

Praise for
Conscious Parenting: Using the Parental Awareness Threshold

Dr. Saul continues to make substantive contributions to parenting with his new book, Conscious Parenting . Building on his first book, My Childrens Children: Raising Young Citizens in the Age of Columbine , he seeks to present a tangible approach to handling the trials and tribulations of parenting. By being a conscious parent and using the parental awareness threshold, parents can be well suited to tackle the challenges presented daily with children of all ages. We are indebted to Dr. Saul for providing a clear path forward with genuine tools that all parents can use.

Richard Riley , Former US Secretary of Education and Former Governor of South Carolina

Imagine you have a magic wand and with it you can create Heaven on Earth for you as a parent and for your children. This book is that magic wand!

MARTIN RUTTE , Founder,ProjectHeavenOnEarth.com

Dr. Sauls Conscious Parenting offers a brief, down-to-earth approach to the complexities of parenting in the 21st century. By defining the Parental Awareness Threshold, Dr. Saul is encouraging adults to be mindful of the goals that we all hold dear for our children, and he is reminding us to be purposeful in all of the interactions that we have with our children. Although implementing this approach demands a willingness to pause, reflect, adapt, and perhaps even apologize, Conscious Parenting teaches us how to develop the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships that build the healthy children of today, the responsible citizens of tomorrow, and the engaged, conscious parents of the next generation.

Andrew Garner, MD, PhD, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Remember these three words: Parental Awareness Threshold. They are your guide to raising better children in our post-Columbine, smartphone world. Dr. Saul continues to break new ground in Conscious Parenting, giving us all a roadmap to becoming better parents who will produce happier and healthier children.

Basil Hero, Author of The Mission of a Lifetime: Lessons from the Men Who Went to the Moon

With Conscious Parenting and the PAT, Dr. Robert Saul offers parents more than just a tool for a better, happier life. He offers a treasure map that can help frustrated, tired mothers and fathers find their way through the seasons of raising children. Parenting isnt easy, yet most of us get more guidance and expert instruction on using our smartphones than growing new humans into adults. Bobs wisdom derives from decades as a parentbut not a perfect one, he saysand as a pediatrician. Few people I have ever met care more about children and ensuring that they have every opportunity available to them to reach their potential.

No child comes with an instruction manual. As parents we bring our personalities and even our own childhood experiences into our roles, but often we do so automatically, without examination. Becoming a conscious parent can change that. Far from a theoretical work or a medical report, this book is an accessible, usable guide that can be used by parents, grandparents, and educators to thoughtfully and deliberately interact with children, even when they test every ounce of our patience. It is indispensable for community programs and workshop leaders who are reaching at-risk families or simply those who want to do better than the generation before. The goal is simple. The work is difficult. But this short book can help guide the way.

Chris Worthy, Writer

As a parent, I think back on my worst moments, and inevitably they are the ones when I was in conflict with my children. Things were going down the tubes, we were both upset, and no one went to bed happy. What if there was a way to replace all of these moments with episodes of loving kindness, when we understand what our children need and respond appropriately? Pediatrician, father, and author Dr. Robert Saul now adds to his estimable body of work Conscious Parenting , a book that offers solutions to the hardest moments in parenting by helping us become more aware caregivers. Introducing the concept of the Parental Awareness Threshold, Dr. Saul synthesizes the newest and most exciting developments in psychology, philosophy, and mindfulness to offer parents a system that will help them cope with the most challenging moments that child-rearing has to offer, an opportunity to turn tears into hugs and children into warm, caring adults.

David L. Hill, MD , Pediatrician and Author of Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro

Bob Saul continues his advocacy for children with a thoughtful approach to parenting in his new book, Conscious Parenting . As an educator for 45 years, I have seen the results of good and less-than-good parenting. This book provides the tools for those who want to be good parents. We need to create a short course for parents to help them lead their children to be healthy, happy and productive adults with Conscious Parenting as the textbook. Thank you, Dr. Saul, for your passionate advocacy for children.

Ray L. Wilson, Jr., PhD , Retired Educator

Much of what influences children and youth does not occur in a classroom, but at home. Indeed, the success of our K-12 educators depends on knowledgeable and caring parents who are aware of and address their childrens physical, emotional, and academic needs. Few people have a clearer understanding of this than Dr. Robert Saul. In Conscious Parenting , Dr. Sauldrawing on his previous scholarship and decades of experience as a pediatricianoffers both timely information and effective strategies that parents can use to build healthy and meaningful relationships with their children, especially during this hyper-competitive and highly stressful era in which we find ourselves. It is not an exaggeration to say that teachers could have a much greater impact on their students if more parents would implement Dr. Sauls recommendations. Anybody who cares about the people who will shape our future should read this book!

A. Scott Henderson, Phd , Professor of Education, Furman University

To parents and caregivers everywhere

We all need a map!

Conscious Parenting:

Using the Parental Awareness Threshold

by Robert A. Saul, MD

Copyright 2020 Robert A. Saul, MD

ISBN 978-1-64663-041-7

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the author.

REVIEW COPY:

This is an advanced printing subject to corrections and revisions.

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Introduction

P arenting is sometimes considered an innate processas if everything is straightforward and will easily fall into place over the years from birth to adulthood. Conceiving children does not properly prepare us for the nurturing, physical and emotional, needed to raise healthy children.

An innate ability implies that we are born with the ability and we just need to untap it at the right time with just the right amount of emotional energy. And that it will be obvious how to use this ability at each juncture in our parenting journey.

In my opinion, nothing could be farther from the truth. Parenting in todays society is complex. There are so many factors tied to parenting. Parenting requires instruction from multiple places, assistance from a variety of resources and constant tinkering as we learn what we did right and what we need to improve. This book will provide a basic framework, a map, for such a process.