The Enneagram World of the Child: Nurturing Resilience and Self-Compassion in Early Life by John Harper centers on nurturing children, it equally serves as a guide for parents to better understand how their own patterns shape their child’s sense of self. John Harper gently and insightfully explores the many ways, often unconscious, that parents influence their children’s development.

Intermediate Enneagram readers will recognize the caution against typing children too early. Harper addresses this directly, “The goal isn’t to predict or shape our children’s eventual type but to understand how our patterns influence their early development.” Rather than assigning a type to children, Harper invites parents to examine themselves, creating the kind of environment where a child’s authentic self can emerge with resilience and self-compassion.

The book outlines five families as examples to highlight distinct parent-child dynamics. While the parents’ Enneagram types are named, the children’s types remain intentionally ambiguous. Instead, Harper uses phrases like “Connection-sensitive Child” to describe the child’s experience when influenced by a type 2 parent.

Some readers may feel exposed under Harper’s thoughtful lens, but that vulnerability is the point. If you’re ready to take an honest look at your parenting style and how it aligns with your child’s emotional safety and authenticity, this book offers a compassionate and valuable roadmap.

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