Thankful for L.R. Knost

As you know, by now, I’m a big fan of L.R. Knost.  Her books include:

The Gentle Parent: Positive, Practical, Effective Discipline; Two Thousand Kisses a Day: Gentle Parenting Through the Ages and Stages;Whispers Through Time: Communication Through the Ages and Stages of Childhood, and Jesus, the Gentle Parent: Gentle Christian Parenting.

L.R. Knost is an independent child development researcher and founder and director of the advocacy and consulting group, Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting Resources. According to amazon.com, she is also a babywearing, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, homeschooling mother of six. Other works by L.R. Knost include a devotional guide, numerous church plays and dramas, and children’s language arts and children’s church curriculums.

Research has discovered that children who are spanked (whipped, beat, paddled, etc.) are more likely to end up in jail and/or prison. If for no other reason, this is enough to make us evaluate the use of corporal punishment as a means of discipline.

She says, “Fear and anxiety cannot be overcome by forcing a child to ‘face their fears.’ Fear and anxiety can be overcome by inviting a child to share their fears.”

“When you’re lying in bed at night and regrets from the day come to steal your sleep…

‘I should have…’

‘If only I’d…’

‘I wish I had…’

…grab one of them and turn it into an ‘I will,’ then sleep peacefully knowing that tomorrow will be a better day.”

She also encourages: “It’s okay to slow down, to turn your face to the sun, to breathe deeply under the stars, to rest in a warm embrace. It’s okay to live in the moment when the moment is worth living in, to cry tears of joy or pain or both when life feels too big or too hard, to twirl with arms wide open when you want to feel young and free and invincible again despite age and time and circumstance.  It’s okay to feel, to fail, to try, to win, to laugh, to cry, to live, to die, all on your own terms. It’s okay to be wholly and imperfectly you. It’s okay to be human.”

“I am doing the best I can with what I have in this moment. And that is all I can expect of anyone, including me!”

That last quote is quite poignant when we learn that L.R. Knost is fighting her battle with pancreatic cancer. I encourage you to lift her and her family in prayer as they work to stay strong during this time. Thank you and God bless each of you as you parent your child(ren) gently.

©2016 Brenda Holland-Robinson