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: Hair and
Change
Your child is always growing. One of the most touching
aspects of our relationship with our child is that our child
changes in so many ways, so quickly. We love to watch our child
blossom and at the same time wish they could remain forever young.
Our
child hair can serve as a reminder of the beautiful changes
that take place, and of our deep appreciation for our child in
the present moment.
We've watched our child's hair grow
over the course of their lives. We love to pat their head and
run our fingers through their locks. It texture, and perhaps
even color, has changed. As our child gets older, it begins
to take shape and may get styled.
Whether or not we are aware
of it, at every moment our child's hair is growing longer and falling
out. While it may look the same from moment to moment, it is
always changing -- moving with the flow of life and the energy
of the cosmos.
My child's hair remind me
That
everything changes
Even
my beautiful child
Today, when you see your child's hair, reach out and touch it in awareness
of the fantastic changes taking place in your child. Look deeply
at its color, shading, and texture. When you grasp it, open
awareness to the power of the moment. Kiss your child. This
hair will never been the same again. This moment will never
be the same again. But there will always be the moment.
Your
child's hair will change with your child -- with yourself -- with
the cosmos. Visualize your child's hair in fifty years.
Recollect your child's hair the first time you saw your child.
Breathe deeply and slowly and open to the moment.
When you let
go of your child's hair, look at your hands. You should be startled.
The hair is gone. Feel your fingers -- fingers that only seconds
ago felt the luxurious locks of your child's hair. Then look
to your child and smile.
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.
