Self-Esteem and Presence

Dear Families,

    As I prepare to speak about Eckhart Tolle, Rudolf Steiner, and Waldorf education, favorite chapters and articles come to mind which I wish to share.  I have recommended "Genuine Encounter" from Your Child's Self-Esteem by Dorothy Corkille Briggs, and I do so again.  We have several copies in the Kathrine Dickerson Memorial Library.  Rather than send you a pdf that is hard to read, I am sending you three excerpts from the book from this web-site.  If you scroll down past the table of contents and list of praise from critics and journals, you will find 3 brief excerpts from different parts of the book that give not only an excellent taste of the book but also--for me, at least--a reminder to slow down, be present, accept the now, and appreciate with quiet reverence what my child and the children are doing or not doing.

     I can feel like a failure if I decide to provide my sons complete presence and attention every moment of the day.  Briggs and Tolle and others remind us that it is quality, not quantity, that can be so nourishing.  Remembering and finding that one moment to slow down and just watch without judgment, praise, criticism, worry, thoughts of my past or future, is an incredible gift--even if it starts as just the briefest of moments.

With gestures toward presence,

William Geoffrey Dolde