claudiadoina
Proud Member
Not very long ago, I heard from a parent who had just finished reading— Honoring the Child Spirit: Inspiration and Learning from Our Children. She was quite excited and amazed, as she tried to explain her experience. She told me she had always loved Michael’s music, but had no idea what kind of person he was. She said that she came to know his heart through what she had just read, and now realizes what a special gift we lost. She had no idea who the author was, nor did she particularly care. She explained to me that she had her doubts about Michael’s character in the past, because of what she had read and heard, but her eyes were now open to his special and universal love— for children, for everyone and for everything in God’s creation. And she wanted more…did I have anything about Michael and children that she could see, read, or listen to?
She also told me that she wished more people could be enlightened to this wonderful truth about Michael, and so I asked her if she would like to do that herself. She is not famous, she never met Michael, she has new eyes that didn’t see before and now there is a young child who will most certainly benefit from his mother’s exposure to one loving man’s words. What follows is a testament to the quiet power of Michael’s love.
Lauren: Thank you, Kim, for agreeing to share your impressions of — Honoring the Child Spirit: Inspiration and Learning from Our Children. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Kim: I am a 40 year-old single mom who has a 4 year old little boy. I am a full-time student/part-time bookkeeper. I was born in New York, and I have lived most of my life in California. My father still lives in New York, and I maintain a good relationship with him. When my sister and I were younger, we spent many summers with our dad, and now I take his grandson to see him every year. I come from a long line of strong, single moms, and we live close to my mom and two sisters.
Lauren: You have one child; a four year old boy. What can you tell us about him?
Kim: He is the light of my life. Every child is a miracle and a blessing, and my son is such a joy. I have a tremendous appreciation, and am so grateful for him because of the loss of a first child. He is sensitive, kind, in tune with others’ feelings, and has been very musical from a very young age. I would take him for walks and hum different songs, and at 5 or 6 months, he would hum them back to me. He has a gift and love for music, which I believe comes from me and from my parents. He’s energetic and loving, and sees wonder in the simplest things. He reminds me every day to stop and count the blessings that are all around us.
Lauren: What would you say are your basic parental guidelines?
Kim: I believe in respect and love, and discipline that support a child. I believe in showing him every day that I love him and all the reasons why he is so special and wonderful. I want him to always know how loved he is and that he is uniquely amazing. I want him to be a kind, humble, soul, and I try to parent in a way that will foster that. As a parent, my wishes, prayers, hopes and dreams are timeless, and echo mothers from the beginning of time. Happiness, success, love, humility, a strong character; to remember there is Someone up above, to grow old and be trustworthy and honest, with a kind and giving nature, gentle and respectful. To play, learn, laugh, pray, talk, cuddle and read every day are my goals with my young child. I want him to have a life better than mine. I parent according to that, and I never falter in those basic desires that drive me as a mom.
Lauren: How did you come to read, Honoring the Child's Spirit?
Kim: I am blessed to say that my parents have a deep love of music; the kind that moves your soul— the Beatles, Motown, Stones, Joplin. I can remember being on the phone with my father, separated by 3000 miles, and sharing in that moment of amazement as the world watched and held its breath, as Michael Jackson moonwalked for the first time. My mom always loved his music and it is through her that this book came to me.
Lauren: What connection(s) did or do you have with Michael Jackson?
Kim: Michael has been with me my whole life! Even if I was not conscious of him or his music, I cannot remember a time that his music or his image has not been in my life. If life is a book, then Michael’s music is the page that my life is written on. My son has brought him into my life in a way that Michael never was before. When my son was first exposed to Michael and his music and dancing, he was enraptured and lifted in every way. He talks about him, prays for him, sings his songs, and dances with such joy and wild abandon that it stops me in my tracks, and I have to join him. It’s that amazing!
Lauren: Were you aware of Michael’s lifelong dedication to children?
Kim: I knew of it, but I was not fully aware of what an ambassador for children he truly was. I always knew that he loved children, but to be fully aware is different. Now, after his death, my son’s reaction to him and with what I’ve read and heard, I am beginning to understand more of who Michael really was and what he cared about.
Lauren: Is there anything about the introduction to this book that affected you?
Kim: I believe the way the author discussed how children who come from a divorced family are often forced to lose childhood innocence faster. Because that is part of my son’s life, this brought me right to my son, and I was opened up even more to the rest of the book.
Lauren: Were you surprised about Michael's feelings and thoughts about children and parenting that were revealed in the book?
Kim: Yes, I was. I didn’t know how intelligent he was and how deep his understanding was about so many phases of childhood. After finishing the book, in one evening, it became apparent how wonderfully brilliant his parental philosophies were.
Lauren: What is it that affected you, and how?
Kim: The entire book; the simple, overlooked truth about what an amazing gift children are—not just our own. That for me permeated throughout the book. It was not just his own children Michael loved, he truly loved all children. Of course, his children are special to him in a way no other child could ever be. I’ve never heard or read anyone speak of all children, universally, the way Michael does. That deeply affected me. He doesn’t just speak of his own kids and fathering, but he speaks about all children in the way people usually do about their own.
I felt that I had to do better to measure up to what he was talking about. I consider myself a lover of children, innocence and being a guardian of that, but not like Michael. What made it so much more amazing is that he speaks about his own father and his own damaged childhood with so much love…in everything he speaks about….even the people that attacked him. His love is just amazing and I can’t even…there was a time I questioned his behavior, but after reading this book there’s no way. He was so misunderstood and so…his love…this world was just not ready for it. God had to take him back. I would trust him with my child. He would be welcome in my home.
Lauren: Did it change your parenting goals or day-to-day child raising? If so, how?
Kim: Absolutely! In every possible way! With discipline I’m softer, slower and more purposeful. I find myself thinking…"What is he going to walk away with…is he going to be encouraged, built up?" I’m more thoughtful in my discipline in regards to how it will shape and affect who he is. Michael said children are already what we want them to be, and all they need is to be encouraged and nurtured. They come to us kind, giving, thoughtful and loving. He talked about parenting to who the child is, not who the parent wants the child to be. My son has a loud voice and my reaction is now different. I tell him that he has a natural excited voice that God gave him. He’s not loud, he’s jubilant.
Sometimes I find myself thinking, "What would Michael do?" "How would he handle this?" I listen more. Michael said, “Listen to your children”. He also asked, “In everything that you do every day, how are you making the world a better place for children?"
The book makes me feel that I want to continue his work with children. Who is going to be that person on this planet, who will fight for children now? Michael’s soul was crushed and we took so much from him. Who is going to do what Michael did? And, I want more of his roadmap to being a better parent. I want more enlightenment in Michael’s words.
Lauren: Do you see Michael differently after reading his words?
Kim: How could I not? God sent one of his angels here to do His work, and He had to take him back because we weren’t ready yet.
Lauren: And finally, would you recommend this book to others? If so, why?
Kim: Yes, and I have. I would say if you think you’d like to expand your understanding of children and how to be a more loving parent then pick up this book. How could you not? This book should be in every library in the Parenting Section.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I hope your words reach hearts, and promote understanding and appreciation for Michael’s eloquence and his gift to us.
http://mjtpmagazine.presspublisher....t-s-interview-and-testament-to-michael-s-love
She also told me that she wished more people could be enlightened to this wonderful truth about Michael, and so I asked her if she would like to do that herself. She is not famous, she never met Michael, she has new eyes that didn’t see before and now there is a young child who will most certainly benefit from his mother’s exposure to one loving man’s words. What follows is a testament to the quiet power of Michael’s love.
Lauren: Thank you, Kim, for agreeing to share your impressions of — Honoring the Child Spirit: Inspiration and Learning from Our Children. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Kim: I am a 40 year-old single mom who has a 4 year old little boy. I am a full-time student/part-time bookkeeper. I was born in New York, and I have lived most of my life in California. My father still lives in New York, and I maintain a good relationship with him. When my sister and I were younger, we spent many summers with our dad, and now I take his grandson to see him every year. I come from a long line of strong, single moms, and we live close to my mom and two sisters.
Lauren: You have one child; a four year old boy. What can you tell us about him?
Kim: He is the light of my life. Every child is a miracle and a blessing, and my son is such a joy. I have a tremendous appreciation, and am so grateful for him because of the loss of a first child. He is sensitive, kind, in tune with others’ feelings, and has been very musical from a very young age. I would take him for walks and hum different songs, and at 5 or 6 months, he would hum them back to me. He has a gift and love for music, which I believe comes from me and from my parents. He’s energetic and loving, and sees wonder in the simplest things. He reminds me every day to stop and count the blessings that are all around us.
Lauren: What would you say are your basic parental guidelines?
Kim: I believe in respect and love, and discipline that support a child. I believe in showing him every day that I love him and all the reasons why he is so special and wonderful. I want him to always know how loved he is and that he is uniquely amazing. I want him to be a kind, humble, soul, and I try to parent in a way that will foster that. As a parent, my wishes, prayers, hopes and dreams are timeless, and echo mothers from the beginning of time. Happiness, success, love, humility, a strong character; to remember there is Someone up above, to grow old and be trustworthy and honest, with a kind and giving nature, gentle and respectful. To play, learn, laugh, pray, talk, cuddle and read every day are my goals with my young child. I want him to have a life better than mine. I parent according to that, and I never falter in those basic desires that drive me as a mom.
Lauren: How did you come to read, Honoring the Child's Spirit?
Kim: I am blessed to say that my parents have a deep love of music; the kind that moves your soul— the Beatles, Motown, Stones, Joplin. I can remember being on the phone with my father, separated by 3000 miles, and sharing in that moment of amazement as the world watched and held its breath, as Michael Jackson moonwalked for the first time. My mom always loved his music and it is through her that this book came to me.
Lauren: What connection(s) did or do you have with Michael Jackson?
Kim: Michael has been with me my whole life! Even if I was not conscious of him or his music, I cannot remember a time that his music or his image has not been in my life. If life is a book, then Michael’s music is the page that my life is written on. My son has brought him into my life in a way that Michael never was before. When my son was first exposed to Michael and his music and dancing, he was enraptured and lifted in every way. He talks about him, prays for him, sings his songs, and dances with such joy and wild abandon that it stops me in my tracks, and I have to join him. It’s that amazing!
Lauren: Were you aware of Michael’s lifelong dedication to children?
Kim: I knew of it, but I was not fully aware of what an ambassador for children he truly was. I always knew that he loved children, but to be fully aware is different. Now, after his death, my son’s reaction to him and with what I’ve read and heard, I am beginning to understand more of who Michael really was and what he cared about.
Lauren: Is there anything about the introduction to this book that affected you?
Kim: I believe the way the author discussed how children who come from a divorced family are often forced to lose childhood innocence faster. Because that is part of my son’s life, this brought me right to my son, and I was opened up even more to the rest of the book.
Lauren: Were you surprised about Michael's feelings and thoughts about children and parenting that were revealed in the book?
Kim: Yes, I was. I didn’t know how intelligent he was and how deep his understanding was about so many phases of childhood. After finishing the book, in one evening, it became apparent how wonderfully brilliant his parental philosophies were.
Lauren: What is it that affected you, and how?
Kim: The entire book; the simple, overlooked truth about what an amazing gift children are—not just our own. That for me permeated throughout the book. It was not just his own children Michael loved, he truly loved all children. Of course, his children are special to him in a way no other child could ever be. I’ve never heard or read anyone speak of all children, universally, the way Michael does. That deeply affected me. He doesn’t just speak of his own kids and fathering, but he speaks about all children in the way people usually do about their own.
I felt that I had to do better to measure up to what he was talking about. I consider myself a lover of children, innocence and being a guardian of that, but not like Michael. What made it so much more amazing is that he speaks about his own father and his own damaged childhood with so much love…in everything he speaks about….even the people that attacked him. His love is just amazing and I can’t even…there was a time I questioned his behavior, but after reading this book there’s no way. He was so misunderstood and so…his love…this world was just not ready for it. God had to take him back. I would trust him with my child. He would be welcome in my home.
Lauren: Did it change your parenting goals or day-to-day child raising? If so, how?
Kim: Absolutely! In every possible way! With discipline I’m softer, slower and more purposeful. I find myself thinking…"What is he going to walk away with…is he going to be encouraged, built up?" I’m more thoughtful in my discipline in regards to how it will shape and affect who he is. Michael said children are already what we want them to be, and all they need is to be encouraged and nurtured. They come to us kind, giving, thoughtful and loving. He talked about parenting to who the child is, not who the parent wants the child to be. My son has a loud voice and my reaction is now different. I tell him that he has a natural excited voice that God gave him. He’s not loud, he’s jubilant.
Sometimes I find myself thinking, "What would Michael do?" "How would he handle this?" I listen more. Michael said, “Listen to your children”. He also asked, “In everything that you do every day, how are you making the world a better place for children?"
The book makes me feel that I want to continue his work with children. Who is going to be that person on this planet, who will fight for children now? Michael’s soul was crushed and we took so much from him. Who is going to do what Michael did? And, I want more of his roadmap to being a better parent. I want more enlightenment in Michael’s words.
Lauren: Do you see Michael differently after reading his words?
Kim: How could I not? God sent one of his angels here to do His work, and He had to take him back because we weren’t ready yet.
Lauren: And finally, would you recommend this book to others? If so, why?
Kim: Yes, and I have. I would say if you think you’d like to expand your understanding of children and how to be a more loving parent then pick up this book. How could you not? This book should be in every library in the Parenting Section.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I hope your words reach hearts, and promote understanding and appreciation for Michael’s eloquence and his gift to us.
http://mjtpmagazine.presspublisher....t-s-interview-and-testament-to-michael-s-love