The practice of mindful parenting opens awareness to our children wherever they may be.  It is available to us every moment of our lives.  And when we practice, we become deeply grounded in the moment and our hearts open wide.

 

Often, we appear to become lost in the mundane, and in the routine.  For example, we may eat too fast and without much awareness.  Before we know it (truly), a meal is gone and we may not even remember eating it.  But it is in the mundane that the miracle of mindfulness can be reclaimed.

 

               I watch the fork

               As my hand lifts it to my mouth

               Then takes it away

                Is this tide so powerful

                I've forgotten my child?

 

Today, when you eat, recite the above verse or consider its content.  Watch your hand as it delivers the food to your mouth.  Like the ocean's tide, it just keeps happening.  How many millions of time have you made this motion?  How many times have you been aware of it?  Open awareness to your marvelous hand and how well it cooperates with your mouth.  Chew slowly and allow your hand to slow down as it patiently awaits your call for more food.  Breathe slowly and soften your belly.

 

As you bring awareness to the moment and engage in more mindful eating, consider whether you cooperate with your child as well as your hand does with your mouth.  Your connection to your child is deeper than your hand's connection to your mouth.  

 

Bliss arises not from the cooperation, but from your expanded awareness of your connection to your child.

 

 

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.