Out of Control

Every parent wants the golden key to raising well-behaved, academically gifted, successful, happy children. Embedded in the collective psyche is the notion that discipline is the cornerstone to achieving these goals. Out of Control offers a never-before-published perspective on why the entire premise of discipline is flawed. Dr. Shefali Tsabary reveals how discipline is a major cause of generations of dysfunction. The author goes to the heart of the problems parents have with children, challenging society's dependence on discipline, daring readers to let go of fear-based ideologies and replace them with an approach that draws parent and child together. The key is ongoing meaningful connection between parent and child, free from threats, deprivation, punishment, and timeouts -- all forms of manipulation. Parents learn how to enter into deep communion with their children, understanding the reasons for a behavior and how to bring out the best in the child. Far from a laissez-faire, anything goes, approach, this is how a child learns responsibility and takes ownership of their life, equipped with character and resilience that flow naturally from within.

The patterns of behavior we witness in childhood become the template for our own way of parenting. It's because discipline focuses on behavior, not on the feel- ings driving the behavior, that it undercuts the very thing we are trying to accomplish. We've been so schooled to impose "lessons" on our children that it feels counterintuitive to allow the lesson to emerge naturally out of the situation. The reality is that children learn not because we tell them, but from how we relate to them. It's the differ- ence between "doing to" ver- sus "doing with." To give a child things or deprive them because to do so matches our subconscious agenda--our unresolved emo- tional baggage--rather than aligning with their develop- mental needs, is to court conflict. Each moment with our child is a reflection of the past and a foundation for the future. It's the dynamic that arises from insisting on our paren- tal agenda that creates the need for discipline. When it comes to accepting ourselves as imperfect, we set the tone for our children. The degree to which they accept their imperfections tends to be the degree to which we accept and honor our own. To be present for our children means to be aware of our own subconscious agenda so we don't impose this on our children. If a parent puts out the kind of vibes that welcome feel- ings, even when the feelings are difficult to tolerate, the child picks up on this, eventually learning how to manage their feelings in a healthy manner. There are all kinds of ways we can help our children cope with their world. Creativity is what's needed, not admonish- ment or discipline. Our children didn't come into the world to be our puppets. They came here to struggle, fumble, thrive, and enjoy--a journey for which they need our encouragement.

Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, New York. Dr. Shefali was exposed to Eastern philosophy at an early age and integrates its teachings with Western psychology. This blend of East and West allow her to reach a global audience and establishes her as one of a kind in the field of mindfulness psychology. She lectures extensively on mindful living and conscious parenting around the world and currently has a private psychotherapy practice in New York City. She has a strong following on social media, posts regularly on Huffington Post, and can be seen on uTube and Ted Talk. Her books include It's a Mom: What You Should Know about the Early Years of Motherhood and The Conscious Parent, which has been heavily endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. She lives in New York City.