“Children of the Kingdom conveys a practical approach to educating children in a loving and supportive manner, with spiritual principles, virtues, and character development serving as the foundation for their learning and growth.
Using the Baha’i writings, as well as personal experience, author Daun E. Miller demonstrates that there is an alternative to the chaos and confusion that many parents see engulfing the world and that children can be raised to be guided by moral and spiritual principles. Parents and families often run into difficult questions regarding the best way to raise children, and this book provides sprirtually based answers.
Written in chronological order so that busy parents can find what they need quickly and easily, the book designates each age group as an important stage in a child’s life and one that demands specific action on the part of parents.
The guidance shared in Children of the Kingdom focuses on the nature of the soul and the vital reasons why we should educate our children spiritually.” (Review from Baha’i Publishing.)
Here is our interview with Daun Miller.
Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: I live in Tampa, Florida, and I have two wonderful sons, a sweet daughter-in-law, and two darling little grandsons, a two year old and a three month old. I like to paint, write, travel, and spend time with my family and friends.
Q: What gave you the idea for writing this book?
A: After my first son was born, I became very interested in the spiritual education of children. I taught Baha’i children’s classes and then youth classes. Because of my experience as a mother and as a teacher, I realized that we needed a book like this in the Baha’i Faith – one that was supportive of parents, easy to read, and with quick access to the Baha’i Writings on spiritual education.
Q: What do you hope that parents will take away from this book?
A: I hope that parents will learn from this book how powerful love is and how powerful the Baha’i Writings are in the lives of their children.
Q: Why did you choose the title?
A: I chose the title because back in the 1970’s, when my husband and I became Baha’is, we heard a beautiful song by the popular Baha’i singing duo, Seals and Crofts. The song had these words “We’ll have children of the kingdom. They won’t be torn by war, nor, will they kill or hate, or hesitate to love.” This song became our anthem, our vision for our future children. And then when I read the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, I found that he had used these words as well.
Q: What do you think is one of the greatest challenges for parents today?
A: I think the area of media/technology is one the the greatest challenges for parents today. Although many wonderful things have been developed in these areas, they also have a great amount of influence on our children. I think parents should be very aware of this influence and strive to balance these things with healthy, loving relationships, time out of doors with free play, and a strong spiritual foundation.
Q: Would you encourage young parents to seek support outside of their own family unit? And, if so, what specifically?
A: I think young parents need a well-rounded support system and that means extended family, close friends, and a faith community. Many young parents today do not live near their extended family so that makes good friends and a faith community even more important.
Q: How can mothers support each other?
A: I think having friends whose children are the same age as ours is critical to our peace of mind. We need to know that other mothers are experiencing the same things and we need to be able to talk about it. Older mothers also share with us that difficult times shall pass and that parenting will get easier. I also think it is wonderful that mothers can now receive support through the internet in parenting blogs like this one.
Q: What was one of your lessons from raising children under age 5?
A: I think one of the most important lessons is that we must see our children as unique creations of God. If we see them in this way, we can be more loving and patient with our children.
Q: If you could tell mothers only one thing, what would it be?
A: I would tell mothers to be affectionate with their children because this is the way they know they are truly loved.
What else would you like to know about the book? Do you have any other questions for Daun? Add your comments below.
Be sure to join Children of the Kingdom’s Facebook page and find out more about the book by watching this video.
