Excerpt from Children Are From Heaven by John Gray, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Children have their own set of challenges and gifts, and there is nothing we can do to alter who they are.

At difficult times, when we begin to think something is wrong with our children, we must come back to remembering that they are from heaven. They are perfect the way they are and have their own unique challenges in life. They not only need our compassion and help, but they also need their challenges. Their unique obstacles to overcome are actually necessary for them to become all that they can become. The problems they face will assist them in finding the support they need and in developing their special character.

Children need compassion and help, but they also need their unique challenges to grow.

For every child, the healthy process of growing up means there will be challenging times. By learning to accept and embrace the limitations imposed by their parents and the world, children can learn such essential life skills as forgiveness, delayed gratification, acceptance, cooperation, creativity, compassion, courage, persistence, self-correction, self-esteem, self-sufficiency, and self-direction. For example:

• Children cannot learn to be forgiving unless there is someone to forgive.
• Children cannot develop patience or learn to delay gratification if everything comes their way when they want it.
• Children cannot learn to accept their own imperfections if everyone around them is perfect.
• Children cannot learn to cooperate if everything always goes their way.
• Children cannot learn to be creative if everything is done for them.

Children Are From Heaven by John Gray. Copyright (c) 1999 by John Gray. Reprinted with permission from HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.