Mindful Parenting is a contemplative practice through which we become more mindful of our children and, in doing so, experience a more joyful life.
The Morning Sip:
Lights, Camera, Blink
We can think of each time we blink as if
we are taking a picture. Indeed, the shutter of a camera
is similar to our eyelids. Blink -- another picture!
But what
of the pictures we take throughout the day? Are they
stored digitally and then erased? If we are not paying attention,
then that is a likely scenario.
Today, take five pictures of
your child. Take them with awareness of what you are doing ("I'm
taking a picture") -- of who is the subject ("my beautiful child")
-- and of why you are doing it ("to have a lingering recollection
of the moment"). Each of the five times you blink, listen
for the sound of your shutter closing and opening as the
image of your child is stored permanently in your heart.
When
we mindfully interact with our child in this way, we move a little
closer to really seeing them.
The
Mindful Parent is an organization devoted to sharing with parents
and other child caregivers ways in which to enhance the many joys
of parenting. By mindfully attending to our children, both when
we are physically present with them and when we are physically separated
from them, we can enhance our sense of connection to them and, in
turn, our connection to the cosmos. This makes us a better parent,
a happier person, and a more vital human being.
To facilitate
a more mindful approach to parenting, The Mindful Parent publishes
on its website, and in its bi-weekly
newsletter, mindful parenting
verses
and commentaries. The Mindful Parent website also serves as
a community forum that encourages and supports a mindful parenting
dialogue and the sharing of mindful parenting experiences.
In
the spirit of developing a mindful parenting community, we encourage
you to
submit a mindful parenting experience through verse,
commentary, and imagery to share with others. We believe that
through our collective experience, we can help each other develop
a deeper and more meaningful mindful parenting practice.
Click here to learn more about making a submssion. We thank
everyone who has contributed or is considering making this very compassionate
contribution.
Click
here to learn what recent events are taking place
and of changes to The Mindful Parent website. Please
contact
us with your questions about mindful parenting or to share a mindful
parenting experience. We are devoted to working with you to
enhance your ability to "be" with your children, and to experience
the bliss that awaits you.
