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Teaching Kid’s about TRUE Love!

As a parent navigating the various stages in your child’s life can be challenging. As we all know you overcome one challenge and a new one appears. That is the responsibility that comes with the blessing and priviledge of being called Mum or Dad! Sometimes it can be difficult to navigate different subjects and find new ways to introduce and explain emotions, feelings and experiences.

As a Children’s author and illustrator I believe that books in particular picture books are a fabulous way to relate to your children and introduce them to different subjects that we as parents may be at a loss to explain or convey. Two of my favourite books are ‘My First Friend’ but on this subject in particular ‘Puppy Love’ these books teach the principles of both friendship and love through the relationship a child has with their puppy and pet dog. In the case of ‘My First Friend’ my own Polly our family Golden Retriever or who I refer to as the fourth wean (child) in the family.

In my case everything I would never have allowed parenting my three children I forgot with the fourth wean- a lesson in life I will relate in a future post.

If you are looking for a gentle and fun way to teach your little one about ‘True Love’ and what it really means both these books are a great starting point for little ones. A particularly nice gift for Valentines Day or for sharing in a slightly more detached way about the behaviours, expectation, respect and feelings of experiencing true love!

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Top 5 Self Help Books for Teens?

If you are looking for the Top 5 books on Self Help for Teenagers look no further!

The following books are the key classics for both encouraging your young adult to consider personal development & self improvement while discovering a new genre of book!

The following books are some of my all time favourites and often those I recommended to both adults, parents and teens.

Timeless well written books often appeal to a variety of age groups, and self help is a subject that you are never too young or too old to discover!


1. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

If you want to develop a positive attitude of mind, become less fearful and pessimistic this is the starting point of Self help. This book defines my personal mantra in Life!

2. Think and grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

This remains my ultimate book in self help, a book I believe every young person should read in their teens. Pay particular interest to the ‘Self Analysis’ chapter an invaluable tool for every chapter of your life!

3. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

This book is exceptionally good at deal with simplifying the issues of power between parent and child, and for any relationship where individuals are trying to discover their own path and direction in life.

4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The ultimate classic novel in discovering valuable lessons about yourself!

5. The Gamekeepers: the Highland Games

This is my own publication for Young Adults based on Scottish Mythology set in the year 2030. This book combines a variety of self help lessons as the hero in the book is set a series of unenviable challenges that sends her on an adventure with the help and support of several unique and unusual friends.

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Have you lost your Passion?

Have you Lost your Passion? Find your Passion by thinking differently! We often loose sight of our lives passion at the junction of life when we swap the wrongly perceived characteristics of the child for the adult.

When did you loose your courage?

Did you stop taking risks?

Why did you stop being unreasonable? And start following others ideas & thinking?

Was there a point in life when you gave up on your vision & stopped dreaming?

Did you loose faith in yourself?

When did you loose your passion? And trade your gift for a day job and a wage?

How to regain your Passion!

If you want to regain your passion simply watch your children, listen to their ideas, their dreams and hopes. And there you will see a reflection of what was once your passion in life. Rediscover the six characteristics of the great entrepreneur, the inventor, the creative thinker and the child;

The Spirit; Our Passion

The Believer; Faith in ourselves

The Designer; Our vision and dreams

The Inventor; Our own ideas & thinking

The Gambler; Our willingness to take risks

The Rebel; Our courage to defend what we value

Four secrets to rekindling and discovering clues to your lost Passions in Life;

  1. Rediscover the child within you & analyse the above characteristics.
  2. If at the lowest point in life you had nothing material left to offer your neighbour. What is the single thing you always have to share?
  3. Recall experiences of greatest personal frustration and fulfilment in life (your earliest childhood memory of fulfilled JOY! that wasn’t motivated by the approval or praise of your parents or others). Then ask yourself what clues they offer in identifying your greatest gifts, values and passions in life.
  4. When discussing a specific subject when are you most animated, articulate, enthusiastic & confident. And how is this reflective in the books, author and films you love.

Why not try some of our Ebooks!

Similarly if you love dogs learn more about our dog book collection?

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Who are my Positive Friends?

The great entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie shared with Napoleon Hill what he called the Power of the Mastermind Alliance or in its simplest form the power of Positive Friends.

The lessons of ‘Think and Grow Rich’ are as relevant today as they were when published back in 1937. Yet we still don’t teach its principles to our children in schools or higher education. From my experience Think & Grow Rich is the bible of every great entrepreneur or individual seeking personal or professional success.

Napoleon Hill

A brilliant question from Napoleon Hill’s chapter of self -analysis on ‘How to outwit the six ghosts of fear’ is the question;

‘What connection if any do you see between the people with whom you associate most closely and any unhappiness you may experience?’

Like Andrew Carnegie Henry Ford had his own mastermind group which included brilliant thinkers like Thomas Edison. They understood the power and influence of surrounding yourself with likeminded individuals. They didn’t surround themselves with critics and pessimists but positive friends and visionaries that shared their optimism and a genuine want to assist each other constructively in fulfilling their goals.  

This similarly can have a major affect on the lives of our children and teens. Who are they surrounded by and influenced by? What are their mentors and peers like? A positive or negative influence? Inspiring, encouraging, optimistic? Napoleon Hill has some great insights and lessons for parents on the subject of self help.

  1. Who as a child were your Positive Friends?
  2. Who encouraged supported and lifted your spirits?
  3. Which teacher, role model, parent, sibling or grandparent gave you genuine encouragement?
  4. Who filled your mind with positive ideas, thoughts and thinking?
  5. Who are your children’s friends that uplift, inspire and encourage them most?

As an adult today who are your Positive Friends? Where is your Mastermind Alliance? Therefore sew the seeds in the imagination of your children starting with a positive & inspiring  character, positive words, inspiring and empowering stories and lessons in self-help. But more importantly encourage them to surround themselves with Positive Friends and Positive Books!

Discover some of my recommendations on books and Youtuber’s in my next series of blogs!

Learn more about Denise McKeever!

P.S. if you like our books why not discover our dog book collection?

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Teach our children the Power of Positive Thinking!

As an author & illustrator I was a late starter to reading. My real passion for reading began when I was first introduced to the world of Self-Help and Personal Development aged 16 years old. This genre of book was essential and instrumental to my self-confidence, perception and vision of the world.

Therefore from the perspective of a mother the single skill I would wish for each of my children is to master the power of ‘Positive Thinking’.

‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ by Norman Vincent Peale

One of the first books I ever read was ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ by Norman Vincent Peale a book that has become one of my life’s mantras. As an adult the core principle that has always served me through life’s challenges, up’s and down’s is having possession of my own mind. And to look for the positive in every given situation- no matter how challenging.

Life is as Croesus, adviser to Cyrus, King of the Persians stated;

“There is a wheel on which the affairs of men or women revolve, and its mechanism is such that it prevents any man or woman from being always fortunate…… This same wheel that prevents any man or woman from being always fortunate may provide also that no one shall be always unfortunate, provided he will take possession of his own mind and direct it to the attainment of some Definite Major Purpose in Life.” 

Above all I believe as parents and custodian’s of the next generation we eventually come to a point in their lives where we cannot control what good or bad fortune our children face in life. But while they are children and in our care we can prepare them from an early age with strategies, tools and skills to take possession of their own thoughts with a healthy perspective of the world.

Albert Einstein

One of the most influential thinkers of the last century was Albert Einstein and for all his knowledge and expertise he considered that the most important question facing humanity was;

‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves.

So I would love to ask this generation of children this same question in this age of social media, technology and social change.

Do you view the Universe as a friendly place?

Can you view the future with optimism and possibility?

Do you possess the skill and control to think Positively?

Similarly I believe that as custodians of the next generation we have a responsibility to be honest about the world but more importantly we should offer them reminders that ‘the Universe is a friendly place’.

Beginning at an early age with one small simple positive image, word, affirmation, story or action at a time.

My book recommendations this month;

‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ by Norman Vincent Peale

My Positive Alphabet learn more!

Additionally if you love my books why not learn more about our new book collection The Scribblers?