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Their Name Is Today
Reclaiming Childhood
in a Hostile World
Johann Christoph Arnold
Foreword by Mark K. Shriver
Plough Publishing House
Acclaim
Betty Williams, Nobel Laureate
A beautifully gentle book with a powerful punch and a clear message. Listen to your children; they have a lot to say.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York
This book fills me with hope for the future of our children and our society. Like Pope Francis, Arnold counters the “child-free” mentality with refreshing glimpses of the joy and rewards that children bring.
W. Bradford Wilcox, Institute for Family Studies
In a world where children’s time is dominated by standardized education and screen time, and where too many parents seem to be consumed by the race for upward mobility, both for themselves and their kids, Their Name Is Today provides a bracing alternative vision of children, parenthood, and family life. Johann Christoph Arnold reminds us of the importance of unfettered play, time spent in the natural world, and providing our children with a way of life that aligns our ideals with our actions.
John M. Perkins, author, Let Justice Roll Down
This book could well be a spark to ignite a new passion, a new commitment to children.
Sandy Miller, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, Kingston City Schools, New York
Rich in wisdom, Their Name Is Today is a compelling, powerful, and clear call for action to address the many challenges that children face on a daily basis. A must-have resource for parents and teachers dedicated to understanding the needs of children in today’s society.
Published by Plough Publishing House
Walden, New York
Robertsbridge, England
Elsmore, Australia
Copyright ©2014 by Plough Publishing House
All rights reserved.
Cover image: Copyright © Corbis Images
Print ISBN: 978-0-87486-630-8
Pdf ISBN: 978-0-87486-633-9
Epub ISBN: 978-0-87486-631-5
Mobi ISBN: 978-0-87486-632-2
Their Name Is Today is based on Arnold’s acclaimed book Endangered: Your Child in a Hostile World (Plough, 2000). The author has extensively revised, expanded, and updated the text with new stories and topics to address the sweeping changes that have taken place since then. In several instances, names have been changed to protect the contributors’ privacy.
We are guilty of many errors and many faults,
but our worst crime is abandoning the children,
neglecting the fountain of life.
Many things can wait. Children cannot.
Right now their bones are being formed,
their blood is being made,
and their senses are being developed.
To them we cannot answer, “Tomorrow.”
Their name is today.
Gabriela Mistral
Nobel Laureate
Foreword
I bet this is the shortest foreword you will ever read!
Why?
Because I do not want to delay you more than a minute or two from reading my good friend Johann Christoph Arnold’s book.
It really is that good.
Like Christoph, I have had the honor of working with children of all ages throughout my career. During college summer breaks I tutored troubled inner-city high school students. After college, I created a program that works with juvenile delinquents in Baltimore. In the Maryland Legislature, as the first chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Youth and Families, I collaborated with national and international experts on child development and passed legislation designed to help young children enter kindergarten ready to learn. For the last twelve years, I have had the privilege of working at Save the Children, giving kids in the United States and around the world a healthy start, opportunities to learn, and protection from harm, because children deserve a childhood.
On the home front, my wife, Jeanne, and I have been married for twenty-two years and have been blessed with three children: Molly, 16, Tommy, 14, and Emma, 9.
Like you, we have struggled with many of the issues that Christoph addresses in this marvelous book, from the impact of electronics, to academic pressures, to the lack of unstructured play time, to the violence and poverty that children face daily.
Jeanne and I often find ourselves discussing how to deal with these very issues as we raise our own children. Things are coming at us so fast and furiously, it’s overwhelming. We have tried to do the right thing, making numerous changes as our kids grow.
I only wish that Christoph had written this book seventeen years ago, before Jeanne and I became parents! He could have helped us on the child-rearing front, in the political arena, and on the job.
The stories Christoph shares have helped Jeanne and me as we interact with our children and their friends, and I am confident that they will help you in your home, in your classroom, and in your neighborhood.
If you want to glean insights into how to raise and influence children to be more compassionate and considerate, more courageous and confident, more independent, secure, and unselfish; if you want your children to be more loving and joy-filled, then get reading!
And share this book. I’ve already shared my dog-eared manuscript with several friends. They responded as I did. One replied: “It makes me want to go back and do a few things differently for my own children. . . .”
I have written too much. Read on and learn from a wise friend who loves and reveres children, whose words can help us all, whatever our age, to give and receive joy.
Mark K. Shriver
President, Save the Children Action Network
Author, A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver
Preface
It’s high time for a hopeful
