Love, Magic, and Mudpies

I have been a fan of Dr. Bernie Seigel's books for years. Most of what he has written has focused on healthy living skills, but in Love, Magic, and Mudpies, Dr. Seigel branches into important parenting skills. So often as fathers we tend to focus on issues like communication, discipline and sports. But Dr. Seigel's message is that we need to take time to create magic in the lives of our children. And he offers very practical approaches to this endeavor.

I have to admit, I really enjoyed Dr. Bernie Seigel's recent book Love, Magic and Mudpies: Raising Your Kids to Feel Loved, Be Kind, and Make a Difference. Simply put, Dr. Seigel is my kind of dad.

This book covers the gamut of parenting with love and focus. Not only does Dr. Seigel offer interesing insights about all aspects of being a parent, and specifically a father, but he offers very practical ideas for implementing what he teaches.

Love, Magic and Mudpies starts with a review of important values that can be taught best in the home. Dr. Seigel teaches about the importance of words to live by, of handling both success and failure, of education at home and at school, and the importance of giving children a chance to be young. He writes about the critical nature of love in a family, about humor and the lubricant it provides to family life, and about creativity in our relationships.

But he doesn't ignore things like rules and responsibility and managing trying times. But he keeps them in their proper perspective without being overly sentimental.

Finally, Love, Magic and Mudpies concludes with an important reminder about taking care of yourself as a parent. It is so easy in our busy world to give so much to others, including our families, and neglect to fill our own reservoirs of strength. Dr. Seigel's counsel in this regard is welcome and refreshing.