One thing is clear to me: the temptation of power is greater when intimacy is a threat. Much Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead.
When you listen to and read one thinker, you become a clone; Two different thinkers, you become confused; Ten thinkers, you’ll begin developing your own voice; Two or three hundred thinkers, you become wise.
One thing is certain: Children need lots of free, quiet time to get used to all that is developing within them. Have you noticed that unhurried time by yourself or with someone you really trust can be the best setting for your own personal growth? It's no different...