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Nonviolence Philosophy and Practice
Nonviolence is a philosophy and a daily practice.
It is an entirely new paradigm for the adult-child
relationship. It is a move from our society’s dominant
paradigm of conditional parenting to nonviolent
parenting. Conditional parenting is all around us;
parents either punish or reward children for their
behavior. If children are good, they get approval and a
reward. If they are bad, attention is withdrawn and they
are punished. This conditional parenting undermines a
child’s sense of self worth and self -dignity as a
vital, alive, feeling human being.
Nonviolent parenting offers an optimal relationship and
the conditions in which children can thrive and grow
into healthy adults. By building a tight emotional bond
of understanding, nurturing, support, trust, warmth and
compassion, a child reaches a high level of emotional
development. The tools of nonviolent parenting respect
the science of early brain development and are grounded
in the knowledge that to raise healthy children, adults
must be in relationship with children through the giving
of unconditional connection. Respecting the science of
brain development fosters a deep respect of the life
force of all living creatures. It teaches connection and
support between adults and children in the most profound
way possible.
Why We Practice
At birth, most people love their children deeply, and
love is essential to infant brain development,
determining whether or not a child will thrive later in
life. Yet, this love gets compromised by a lot of
things; stress, fear, poverty, racism, unresolved
problems or a parent’s own unresolved childhood trauma.
Nonviolence helps the adult to mange all that
disconnects them from feeling, thinking and experiencing
the child. It supports the adult. It teaches them to
step back and celebrate their child when anger, anxiety
and withdrawl threaten their connection. It gives
parents tools to break their own cycle of violence and
projections from their childhoods, and this is a very,
very profound thing. It teaches the language of
emotional literacy. A dialogue that immerses the adult
in emotional connection to child; feelings, needs and
modeling behavior for children. It makes space for the
emotional process of a child in the adult’s life. It
stresses the understanding of child development,
encourages a clear whole picture of the child with the
ultimate goal of staying connected. It builds a
structure of family values that emphasize safety,
support and values with limits that do not constrict the
child, but support learning and development.
We believe that if children are raised with care; we are
teaching children to care for themselves, others, and
the wider community. Thus, our simple slogan:
Raising Children With Care,
Raising Children To Care |
