healthykids
Children’s Intuition
A Special key to Success in Life
by Catherine Crawford
A child’s intuition, or sixth sense, may be more important in the life of a child
than many people realize. Intuition helps alert kids to danger, provides guidance
in decision making and helps in problem solving, enabling youngsters to jump
more quickly to a solution. Nurturing children’s intuition and keeping it alive
helps them maintain a clear connection to this inner compass.
A
ll children are intuitive, but some are more highly so tive child:
and experience more intuitive messages, or percep- • Stay open to her perceptions without judgment.
tions, with greater frequency than others. They often
• Try not to inflate or deflate her intuitive experience
are unusually aware of the needs and feelings of friends,
when we respond to it.
parents, siblings and animals. These children may translate
the unspoken needs of younger siblings and pets with strik-
• Help her see that her way of feeling and seeing life is an
ing accuracy and even pick up on the predominant feeling
important part of who she is, just like any other gift or talent.
of a group of people as they enter a room. Others may • Realize that she may need our help in learning how to
tune into an unspoken family conflict or tell someone to be manage the stressors associated with this innate lens
careful before stumbling into an unknown situation.
through which she sees the world.
In my psychotherapy practice over the past 20 years,
• Let him know that he is never alone and we are available
I’ve noticed that intuitive children who are raised with
to help him.
respect for their insights and taught to manage the stres-
sors that can emerge with this trait generally grow up to
• If he has empathically taken on someone else’s mood,
be healthy, balanced, intuitive adults. On the other hand,
aches, pains, or worries, help him to practice asking,
when highly intuitive children learn to suppress their inner
“Is this feeling mine?” Remind him that he’s not respon-
sible for anyone else’s feelings.
truth and stop respecting their own inner compass, they
suffer undesirable consequences. Many manifest reduced
• If a child is stuck in a pattern of being in tune with others’
self-esteem, self-doubt, confusion in decision making and
pain or the pain of the world, help him learn to switch to
difficulties with interpersonal boundaries as adults. They
being on the “self channel.” We can help him do this
are more likely to defer to what other people want, even
through exercise, by encouraging him to express his feel-
at the expense of their own health, boundaries and better
ings in art, or even by taking a couple of slow deep
judgment.
breaths along with us.
Perceptive children call for perceptive parenting.
How to Support an Intuitive Child Parents can help keep intuition strong in their children and
In parenting and guiding, we can make a big differ- help solidify this gift for life by adopting these supportive
ence in supporting children’s intuition and empathy. Three behaviors.
keys are to give kids positive feedback for these abilities,
help them learn how to deal with associated stressors and Catherine Crawford is a licensed marriage and family thera-
teach them real-life skills designed with their individual pist and registered art therapist, specializing in the needs of
abilities in mind. intuitive empaths. Her new book is The Highly Intuitive Child:
Children’s messages to us can be simple and direct. A Guide to Understanding and Parenting Unusually Sensitive
Here are ways we can help and support an especially intui- and Empathic Children. Learn more at LifePassage.com.
32 Phoenix
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48