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Parenting for Peace: Raising the Next Generation of Peacemakers by Marcy Axness, PhD (2012). Boulder, CO: Sentient Publications, 434 pages, ISBN 978-1591811763
In the beginning of Parenting for Peace, Dr. Axness informs us that mammals in the wild are not a violent species, and have never been prone to violence of any type. She ponders why human mammals have turned out to be so violent, stating, "Staggering evidence of human and planetary strife is scattered across the globe.... along with our late-model cars and flat-screen TVs, the U.S. has more violence and higher murder rates than any Western European country, and by far the highest incarceration rate in the world." Because of rampant violence and strife in the U.S., Dr. Axness is determined that we stem the tide and reverse course. In Parenting for Peace, she describes how children can be raised to be peacemakers. But what is peacemaking, how do you achieve it, and what are the gifts that individuals, families, and societies attain from peacemaking?
Becoming a peacemaker seems quite simple really. Parents practice peacemaking skills as described in this book and children spontaneously become peacemakers in the process, and in their own unique way. In other words, children learn what they live in relation to mother and father, who act as models, and then carry out the principles taught that positively impact violence. But being a peacemaking parent is not always easy. For some the process becomes a "hero's journey" that challenges lifestyle, deeply...