A narrative of strength nurtures power
Second, powerful children have a narrative of power. We are all storytellers. Each of us is a central character in the stories of our lives. We imagine a future and believe in our capacity to reach those goals. We learn this narrative by the stories our parents tell us about their lives and ours. We hear them tell or read dramatic stories of real and fictional characters that faced great odds in struggles toward worthy goals. (For more information about the power of narrative in the lives of children see if your local library has a copy of my book (now out-of-print but available from Amazon.com), From Wonder to Wisdom: Using Stories to Help Children Grow (NAL/Penguin).