Do I Have To?

Overview

Illustrated and written for parents to share with their children, this interactive communication book presents children with essential self-awareness skills and actions that support healthy emotional expression. The book includes a removable grown-up guide that provides models and rationale about how parents, care providers, and educators might listen and respond to children in a way that supports emotional release and restores a child’s cooperative, creative thinking. The awareness and listening skills presented in this unique and child-friendly format help bridge the gap between children and grown-ups in challenging situations. The intent of the book is twofold: that children may find they have a few more options when their feelings get strong, and grown-ups may find that a certain kind of listening actually supports a child’s efficient return to their natural state of harmony and cooperation.

Author Biography

Jamie Anderson is a key member of the program development and facilitation team at the Institute for Collaborative Communication, which is dedicated to teaching communication skills to educational communities—training teachers, administrators, parents, and the children. She lives in Moraga, California. Christinia Cheung is a Montessori school director who specializes in bilingual education. She is the coauthor of A Persistent Vine. She lives in Hillsborough, California. Beth O'Connor is a Gestalt Awareness Practitioner, which in part focuses on relationships as a key to psychology. She lives in the Bay Area. Hsiao-Yen Chi is an artist who works with Cheung and is the illustrator of A Persistent Vine. She also lives in the Bay Area.