Goodnight, Moon
Creating Soulful Bedrooms for Children by Judith Fertig
child represents “a shift, a celebration, a milestone” in the life of any family, remarks au- thor and artist Jill Butler. In her recent book, Create the Space You Deserve, she explores how loving parents want their little ones to feel happy at home every day in a loving, nurturing safe place, where they can grow into the fullness of who they are meant to be. “All kids need a space of their
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own, a sacred place, where everyday realities like peer pressure, family issues, bullies at school or low self- esteem cannot penetrate; a place of comfort and creativity that reflects and encourages their own positive intentions and beliefs, values, goals and dreams for life,” elaborates Kellee Katillac, author of Kids’ Sacred Places: Rooms for Believing and Belonging. She advises that no matter what is going on in the outside world, the interior world of a child’s room should be a refuge of calm, comfort, creativ- ity and renewal. “Their rooms are like the French
expression le jardin secret... their secret garden,” continues Butler. “It’s their most basic nest, so encourage and allow it to grow into their space just as they want it.” Making a child’s room such a soulful sanctuary is an ongoing project, as periodic changes
18 Tucson
“…the interior world of a child’s room should be a refuge of calm, comfort, creativity and renewal.”
reflect the individual growth and changing interests of a child, from the crib to a teenager’s digs.
New Baby An infant’s room needs to be soft and soothing, so a baby can adjust to the “less-cushioned” life outside the womb, note Laura Forbes Carlin and Alison Forbes, authors of The Peace- ful Nursery. Babies are stimulated enough by modern lifestyles; the one place they should be able to simply drift off to a peaceful sleep is in their room. Feng Shui principles can help parents create the environment that promotes quiet calm and sleep. To encourage relaxation, consider paint- ing the baby’s room a soft color, such as cream, pale blue or lavender. Add soothing artwork, monochromatic or pale, printed bedding and gentle aromas from traces of essential oils
(chamomile, rose, vanilla or lavender) in baby-safe products. Position the crib so that the baby can see the door to help quell anxiety, and remove or push a distracting mobile to the side when it’s not playtime. Also, choose furniture with rounded edges and keep a window open or a ceiling fan on low to let air and energy circulate through the room, suggests Rodika Tchi, a feng shui consultant in Van- couver, British Columbia.
Young Child Toddlers and grade school kids need calm and quiet periods, too, but they also require a place to be creative. “Children paint every day, and love to show their works on walls and refrig- erator doors. We assume, I suppose, that children are just learning motor coordination and alphabets,” com- ments Thomas Moore in his classic Care of the Soul. “But maybe they are doing something more fundamental: finding forms that reflect what is going on in their souls.”
Mimi Doe, publisher of the on-
line magazine
SpiritualParenting.com, agrees. “Allow your child’s room to be a safe base for soulful exploration,” she counsels. “Give him a choice in color, fabric, and furniture. Allow her to decorate the door with silver paint,
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