Raising Children At Promise: How the Surprising Gifts of Adversity and Relationship Build Character in Kids

Adversity and Relationship Work Together to Build Strong Kids

Raising Children At Promise is a practical resource and inspiring companion workbook to the revolutionary book Children At Promise, which replaced at–risk thinking with an at–promise strategy to help all kids succeed and overcome challenges in their lives through a trusting relationship with a caring adult. Step by step, this workbook explains the AT PROMISE paradigm and offers stories, activities, self–assessments, prayer reflections, and answers to frequently asked questions, encouraging readers to understand and apply At Promise principles in their daily relationships with kids. Most notably, an observation guide facilitates focused thinking and journaling about kids, giving parents and educators a tool for recognizing progress and knowing how to encourage children to live up to their potential. Solidly grounded in tested educational and psychological theory as well as timeless biblical wisdom, Raising Children At Promise offers a groundbreaking approach to character growth in kids.

"A must–read for anyone who loves kids. Tim and Mona Stuart′s immensely practical workbook will help you examine your assumptions about the children in your life, critically reflect on your own parenting, and lay the foundation for strong character growth in kids."
Michele Borba, Ed.D., author, Building Moral Intelligence and Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me

"Raising Children At Promise is a book for our day a day when parents are often terrified to let children experience any form of adversity or disappointment. This practical guide encourages us to help kids make the most of the natural adversity they experience so that they can learn from it."
Betsy Hart, author and nationally syndicated columnist with Scripps Howard News Service

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Part One: The At–Promise Perspective.

1. A New Look At Promise.

2. Telling Your At–Promise Story.

3. The Trailhead: Fear Versus Love.

4. Companions for the Journey: Choosing Your At–Promise Kids.

Part Two: Requirements for Growth.

5. Adversity: What s Pain Got to Do with It?

6. Trusting Relationships with At–Promise Kids.

Part Three: Building PROMISE Character.

7. Perseverance: Staying the Course.

8. Responsibility for Our Actions: Conquering the Blame Game.

9. Optimism: Real Tonic for a Toxic World.

10. Motivation from Identity: Claiming Our True ID.

11. Integrity: A Mirror of the Soul.

12. Service: It Takes Two Brooms to Change the World.

13. Engaged Play: The Great Healer.

Some Closing Thoughts.

At–Promise Profile.

Notes.

The Authors.

Timothy S. Stuart, Ed.D., serves as the high school principal at Rehoboth Christian School in New Mexico. He is a member of North Carolina′s High Plains Saponi Indian Tribe and a Gates Millennium Scholar. Tim has worked with kids as a secondary school teacher, coach, and administrator on three continents. The founder and president of At Promise, Inc., Tim speaks widely on the At–Promise paradigm. He and his wife, Mona, have been married for eleven years and have three children.

Mona M. Stuart has taught English and mentored junior and senior high school students in both North America and Europe. She also served as a boarding school Dorm Mom to hundreds of high school girls and as a college counselor before becoming a student of her own three children. Mona speaks at conferences and retreats and is a professional grant writer for nonprofit organizations serving At–Promise youth.