Parental Proverbs for Instructional Living

By Oliver Harper

To all who value the preciousness of raising a life and the significance of contributing to this planet this book is a must read.

Everything God created has a functional benefit for humanity and the environment; as His Image bearers, we are indicted to make a responsible contribution to benefit our community, society and even the world.

This is a timely reading adventure into the inner world of parenting, a conscientious pilgrimage, that affords a pragmatic and spiritual excursion, providing fundamental and proactive guidelines to benefit aspiring, functioning, separated, estranged parents and grandparents for the next generation of offspring.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 26, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477131398

Oliver Harper

Oliver Harper is married to Kathleen for Twenty-Two years and they have three children. He presently attends Luther Rice Seminary, pursuing a Masters in Leadership and another in Apologetics. He is a graduate of Baruch College, with a degree in Industrial & Organizational Psychology and a Master’s degree in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from Brooklyn College. He also graduated from Georgia State University with a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, with a private practice in the Atlanta area. Mr. Harper works as an Executive Director for a National Foster Care program in the Metro Atlanta area.

Book preview

PARENTAL PROVERBS

FOR

INSTRUCTIONAL LIVING

cover.jpg

OLIVER HARPER LPC

Copyright © 2012 by Oliver Harper LPC.

Library of Congress Control Number:         2012911134

ISBN:                 Hardcover                        978-1-4771-3138-1

ISBN:                 Softcover                         978-1-4771-3137-4

ISBN:                 Ebook                             978-1-4771-3139-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

115455

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Special Thanks

Introduction

Chapter One          The Virtues of Parenting

Chapter Two          Parenting Foundations and Principles

Chapter Three        Parenting Definitions:

Chapter Four          Family: Society’s Cradle

Chapter Five          Parenting: What It Is Not!

Chapter Six:          The Transforming Power of Raising a Life

Chapter Seven       Parenting Caveats

Chapter Eight        Meaningful Discipline:

Chapter Nine         Invest Rather Than Spend:

Chapter Ten              The Plight and Cost of Drug Addiction:

Chapter Eleven          The Enigma and Pain of Adolescence

Chapter Twelve          Identifying Potential

Chapter Thirteen        The Blessings of Legacy

Chapter Fourteen        The Blessings and Curses of the Parental Tongue

Chapter Fifteen           Traversing the Developmental Stages

Chapter Sixteen           Parenting Functions

Chapter Seventeen       The Pathology of Secrets:

Chapter Eighteen          The Value of Relations

Chapter Nineteen          The Anathema of Divorce

Chapter Twenty             Childhood: The Endangered Species

Chapter Twenty-One      The Seeds of Sown Deeds

Chapter Twenty-Two

Significant Reasons to Consider Becoming a Foster Parent:

Conclusion

About the Author

Dedication

In memory of Clifford Earl Winston Harper, who quintessentially modeled, the sacrificial role of a father, and now, is at rest with the Lord.

Acknowledgments

I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation and great gratitude to my wife Kathleen Harper, for twenty-two years of devotion, dedication and commitment. Together we have three children Jovann, Jazmin and Arielle who are all constant joys and riotous fun collectively. To them and my first daughter Sade, I am greatly indebted for making me a better person, husband, and father.

My mother, Jean Harper whose literary appetite had fueled the family’s interest and consumption of esoteric literature from an early age.

A special thanks to my brother, Pastor Fabian Harper whose authorship of two books had awakened my once-dormant literary intention to complete this endeavor.

My sisters Julie and Jessie for their continued moral support and encouragement and for sharing in the parental joy of raising my children.

Special Thanks

To Julie Harper, whose painstaking efforts produced the artistic design of the inner framing of this manuscript and cover. Her contribution was indelible to the redaction process.

Introduction

The proverbial statements that follow in the pages ahead are rooted out of meditative time with the Lord, personal experiences as a flawed parent, and clinical experiences working at various psychiatric, residential, and community-based organizations.

The task of a parent is complex, stressful, unpredictable and demanding but also richly rewarding, provided that you are equipped from within and have the necessary resources to sustain the daily demands of raising children.

The average parent stumbles into this journey without the necessary mental, emotional, medical, and physical preparedness, resulting in calamitous outcomes