INTRODUCTION Twenty years ago, I published a book called The Artist''s Way . Its premise, that creativity is a spiritual matter and that we are all creative, struck a chord with the reading audience. Nearly four million people bought The Artist''s Way and worked with its toolkit. When I would go out to teach, people would approach me with gifts. "I used your tools and this is what I made," they would say, handing me a book, a CD, or a DVD. But with the gifts often came a request: "I''m a parent. Could you write a book about creativity in children?" "No," I always laughed. "If you want your children to be creative, practice creativity yourself.

Children learn from what we do." I would face down the disappointment in my petitioners. I truly believed that if they worked their Artist''s Way program, they would come upon imaginative and innovative ways to parent. But perhaps my answer was too thin. Year after year, request after request, I resisted because I thought that children were already creative, and that their parents could always use the basic Artist''s Way text to free themselves creatively and set an example for their children. But what of the parents who were not already familiar with The Artist''s Way ? The early years of parenting were an un-likely time for busy parents to launch into an intensive creative recovery of their own. What assumptions was I making about creative parenting based on my own immersion in a creative life? What assumptions was I making based on my own parents'' parenting-which had been colorful and encouraging? Perhaps there were lessons that could-and should-be taught. For two decades, people have asked me to write this book.

And so, why now? As my own daughter embarks upon her new journey as a wife and mother, I find myself rethinking my position, wanting to give my daughter a practical toolkit that she can use in her mothering. I want to pass on the tools I myself used as well as the tools my own very creative mother employed. I come from a family of seven children. Every single one of us makes our living by our wits. My older sister, Connie, is a writer, my brother Jaimie is a musician, my sister Libby is a painter, my brother Christopher is a musician, and my sister Lorrie is another writer, as is my youngest sister, Pegi. As for my mother, she was a poet who loved mothering. She kept a large bulletin board where she posted our latest artwork. Each holiday was marked by thematically related art projects.

We made ghosts and goblins for Halloween, we made snowflakes for Christmas, we made Valentine''s Day cards, and we made Easter eggs. All of us worked on our projects at the big oak dining room table. Boys and girls alike tried their hand at crafts. Our mother displayed our efforts along the wall of our spiral staircase. She taught us the art of making snowflake cutouts, and our flakes were posted on every available window. Between holidays, our mother still made sure we had art sup-plies. I remember drawing a rearing palomino horse, which my father framed and hung in the family room. There was no sense of competition among the siblings.

We were encouraged to delight in one another''s gifts. In this regard, our parents set a good example, always thrilled by what we had wrought. Somehow, my parents never conveyed to us the message of our culture: that it was difficult to make money as an artist, or that being an artist wasn''t a "real" job. Exercising our creativity was always regarded as a worthwhile endeavor. When we told them of our dreams, they never said, "Oh, sweetheart, don''t you think you need something to fall back on?" Instead, they supported our belief that we could do-and even make a living doing-what we loved. Looking back, I see my parents as unusual, even radical, in their stubborn support of our creativity. Regardless of cultural norms, they unapologetically placed deep value on creating a culture of healthy creativity in the home. Is it a coincidence-or any wonder-that we all grew up to make our living using our creative gifts? Did this upbringing set the stage for the concepts I would articulate and develop in The Artist''s Way and in thirty more books beyond it? I''m not a parenting expert.

I''m a creativity expert. I am a parent, however, and I used creativity tools in mothering my own child. As she grew up, she reflected back to me my belief that there are few things more inherent-or precious-in children than their creativity. Creativity is a spiritual undertaking. Parenting is also a spiritual undertaking. We are entrusted with the care of our children''s souls as well as their bodies. There are-and will always be-myriad books on the science of child development. The Artist''s Way for Parents is not one of them.

It is a spiritual tool-kit, a support, a guide. In a culture of "more," the "more" applies to parenting as well. We are perfectionists and we want our children to be perfect. We obsess about the outcome of our actions as we hover above our children, trying to provide every opportunity, every bit of knowledge and exposure. We worry about our toddler''s college education. We think, as parents, that we must be very serious. But we are serious enough. It is a healthy dose of joy that our children require.

Let us loosen our grip on the obsession with perfection, with the "mastery" of parenting, and allow ourselves to explore and delight in the mystery instead. And so, a toolkit: For children, healthy guidance and encouragement of their creative gifts. For parents, companionship, structure, support. Every child-and every parent-is creative. For some of us, it may be easier to see our children''s creativity than our own. As we take in their openness and sense of possibility, we may find that they remind us of our own potential, as well. Exercising our creativity is an act of faith, which connects us to a higher power. When we are willing to explore our creative gifts, we allow both ourselves and our children to connect to something greater-and to each other.

I will use the word "God" in this book. Please do not let semantics stop you from experimenting with the concepts within. No matter what you call it-the source, the force, the universe, the Tao-there is a benevolent Something greater than ourselves to which we can connect. We can find a spiritual path regardless of our religious upbringing, which, for many of us, may have lapsed. Fostering our children''s creativity, we are fostering our children''s spirituality as well. Parents and children have independent and direct relationships to a higher power, and so both al-ways have an unlimited supply of spiritual support available to them. This book will help parents and children alike tap into that source. Every child has different needs at different times.

And yet the same spiritual tools provide answers over and over. This source-book focuses on universal concepts that parents can return to again and again as their children evolve. It functions as a gentle reminder that we are all spiritual beings with creativity stamped into our DNA. The smallest bit of spiritual encouragement yields large results. Divided into twelve chapters, each with a spiritual theme and accompanying exercises, The Artist''s Way for Parents is aimed at parents with children newborn through age twelve. It is never too early-or too late-to nurture children''s creativity. Working with this book, parents replenish their own creative stores as well as nurture those of their children, giving them valu-able tools for the journey toward adulthood. Parenting is a great adventure.

The early years of parenting can be one of the most inspiring chapters of your life, opening you to love and growth you may not have yet experienced. Using these years to tap into your own creativity as well as your child''s, you will love and grow together. Awakening your child''s sense of curiosity and wonder helps you reawaken your own. Reawakening your own sense of curiosity and wonder helps you awaken your child''s. Exercising creativity, alone and together, strengthens the bond between parent and child. Funded by optimism, your child is guided to an expansive and adventurous life. THE THREE BASIC TOOLS The Artist''s Way for Parents utilizes three basic tools: Morning Pages, Creative Expeditions, and Highlights. These tools, when used in conjunction with one another, will help you to develop a sense of guidance, energy, and clarity as you explore the many healthy creative impulses that will arise for you and for your children.

Used consistently, these tools will give you a spiritual foundation and an ongoing sense of structure and safety. 1. Morning Pages-three pages of longhand daily writing that the parent does alone The bedrock tool of a creative recovery-or discovery-is some-thing I call Morning Pages. Done first thing, they siphon off negativity as they provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize, and synchronize the day at hand. Sometimes parents feel that they have lost their right to privacy, but this does not have to be the case. Morning Pages are for your eyes only. They are a safe place to vent, muse, strategize, and dream. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages.

Just write longhand-yes, longhand-for three pages, about anything, and then stop. Do not share your Morning Pages with anyone. I have had students shred, burn, hide, or lock up their Morning Pages. I myself have often joked that in my will, it should state, "First, cremate the Morning Pages. Then take care of the body." Morning Pages are a portable, private support kit for the parent. Parenting is an emotional experience, and you are al-low.