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When was the last time ...

• You saw a child playing catch with his friend, just for fun?
   

• You saw a child climbing on the wooden play set in her backyard?
   

• You saw children laughing, giggling, and sprawled out as they relaxed (without the TV on)?
   

• You wrestled with your son on the family room floor?
   

• You played make-believe with your daughter in her room?

   

• You took a walk with your child for no specific reason?

   

• You had dinner as a family?

   

• You felt unhurried, unrushed, and rested?

Don't worry, it won't be about doing more. It will probably be about doing less.

CONNECTING WITH YOUR KIDS is about discovering the right pace foryour family. It's likely to mean slowing the pace, catching your breath, and listening to the rhythm of your pulse.

Can you hear it?

Or are you running so fast--and is the background noise so loud--that you can't hear your heartbeat?

You are not alone.

Families are becoming increasingly busier. In most cases, this adds stress and puts strain on relationships. However, some active families have discovered a rhythmic pace--a heartbeat that works for them.

CONNECTING WITH YOUR KIDS is more than a warning to slow down. It's a stethoscope to listen to each family member's pulse and develop a collective cadence that benefits every family member.

A few promises as we go:

• You'll experience a guilt-free zone. I won't be piling on "shoulds" and "coulds." If anything, most parents are already doing too much.

   

• You'll discover that parenting does not have to take all of your time, energy, money, or emotions.

   

• We'll challenge the contemporary myth that says, "The natural course of child development isn't enough because, at best, it's mediocre; our kids need a highly programmed dose of 'enrichment.'"

   

• You'll see that your common sense and natural parenting instincts are the best tools you have--trust them. You don't have to fear your kids. In fact, tentativeness deprives them of needed confidence and security.

   

• You'll find out why we rush.

   

• You'll encounter applicable principles and practical ideas that will help you ease up on the intensity of a frantic pace and be delivered from the parent's perennial to-do list.

   

• You'll discover a cadence that is right for you and your family.

CONNECTING WITH YOUR KIDS is divided into four parts:

Part One deals with Breathless Pounding--a look at restless families and why most of us seem to be on the run.

Part Two, Check Your Pulse, helps us take a look at the heart of the matter--how to connect with your child, heart to heart.

Part Three will help you Discover Your Heartprint--your unique pace as well as your child's. We'll define and examine four different heartprints.

Part Four brings it all together with Making Your Heartprint Work for Your Family, presenting tips and recommendations for connecting with the various heartprints.

Are you ready? Pour yourself another glass of iced tea, and then let's discover why so many families are hurried and what we can do about it.

Excerpted from CONNECTING WITH YOUR KIDS © Copyright 2012 by Timothy Smith. Reprinted with permission by Bethany House Publishers. All rights reserved.