Most parents want to be good parents. I frequently hear young parents say, “I‘m not going to make the same mistakes on my kids as my parents made on me.” While they may not make the same mistakes as their parents, they’ll make other mistakes. As my friend and fellow astrologer, Michael Lutin, jokingly quips, “It’s easy to forgive your parents after you’ve screwed up your own kids.”

Over twenty years ago, I observed hundreds of criminally insane people’s hands while working two days a week over a two-year period in the rehab department of a forensic psychiatric hospital. I was amazed how many of them were named Hope, Faith, Angel, Jesus, Grace, Joy, and Mary by dysfunctional role models who prayed that god would bless them with their child. Sadly, those parents ended up physically and emotionally abusing their kids until god’s blessings transformed into acts of violence that finally landed their children in maximum-security forensic mental hospitals for the criminally insane.

Learning to read your kid’s hands is an effective way to tailor your parenting to the individual character of each child. Knowing your child’s character will place your own needs as well as your child’s needs under a microscope. No matter what the age of your child, palmistry can help you to understand his or her real needs and concerns. You’ll learn to be more patient and tolerant by observing your child’s hands.  As you realize your children’s natural potentials, talents, abilities, and challenges, you can encourage the best in them, help create a meaningful educational plan, and point them in the direction of a fulfilling career and life.

I was able to participate in the delivery of my child at birth. I pulled her from my wife’s womb and cut her umbilical cord. Joanna tells the story of how I was reading our baby’s hands before knowing what sex she was. It’s true. Her little hands could barely wrap around my index finger and they already had a story to tell. Her character was sculpted in the shape and proportions of her hands; her strengths and weaknesses, talents, goals, and dreams engraved in her palms. Those tiny hands were beautiful, but on closer inspection, I felt somewhat confused. Joanna and I have such long heart lines (romantic, sentimental, and very much able and wanting to express our feelings) and our daughter’s heart line was so short (emotionally serious, untrusting, and unable to verbalize feelings). In addition, her index finger was very short which symbolized future problems with self-esteem and spirituality. During her first two years of life, she was very cautious, fearful, untrusting, and extremely clingy. Armed with foresight, Joanna, and I nourished and encouraged her to unfold as who she wanted and needed to be. Based on our decision and commitment, along with Cassie’s tremendous will power and determination, her index finger and heart line grew longer during her formative years. Now, at twenty-one, she’s self-assured, fiercely independent, healthy, and although still an emotionally serious person, she’s able to express her true feelings.

Children’s hands change dramatically during the first five years of life.  It’s no surprise that psychologists call this period the “formative years”.  One of the best examples I’ve seen of changes in a child’s hands was illustrated in Andrew Fitzherbert’s book, Hand Psychology. My friend and fellow palmist, Marion Gale, gave me permission to use the above prints and copy. These are her prints of the same child. On the left, at age two, he’s an orphan, having lost both parents. Notice the curved index finger and widely spaced low set pinky finger. There’s a lot of fear and insecurity in this hand. On the right, at age seven, five years after loving relatives have taken him in and cared for him, he has a confident hand with a strong and straight index finger and a healthy pinky finger. The primary lines in his hands strengthened while unnecessary peripheral lines disappeared.