Rest, Play, Development

Deborah MacNamara's book "Rest, Play, Development" — the third book in the "Library of the Neufeld Institute" series — continues the exploration of the model of personality development based on Gordon Neufeld's attachment theory. The theme of the book is preschool-aged children. Without exaggeration, Deborah MacNamara has written a comprehensive guide for parents on how to understand the essence of children's inner worlds. By showing that the preschool years play a crucial role in the development of relationship skills, she examines the immaturity inherent in children of this age — one of the most overlooked and misunderstood concepts — not as a flaw requiring immediate correction, but as part of the plan for development.

The fundamental problem of humanity is that not all of us mature as we grow older. The author convincingly argues that only by understanding the immaturity of preschoolers — what they lack and why — can we grasp the significance of conditions that are conducive to true maturation, and thus we can better understand ourselves and fulfill the task of raising children. After all, if we know what Nature needs and can provide these conditions, we will allow ourselves to relax a bit, and then rejoice in the spontaneously ripening fruits.