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 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.
Sign up for The Mindful Parent newsletter and
receive information and tips on mindful parenting. It's easy, free, and
fulfilling.
The Daily Sip: The
Bedtime Story
Perhaps one of the most sacred moments we share
with our child is when we read to them. During these times
they are fully engaged, fully present. Are we?
With so
much going on in our lives, it is easy for our minds to veer off into
reflections on the past or the anticipation of future events.
All the while our mouths mindlessly recite the words on the page. When
that happens, we miss so much.
Turning this page
I
take a breath
And marvel that I am here
With my beautiful child
Today, when you read to your child,
take a breath as you turn each page and reflect on the extraordinary
gift that life offers you at that moment. Look deeply into your
child -- observe your child's emotions and honor your child by listening
to what he or she wants to share with you about the story.
Smile with the knowledge that opening to this moment will slow it
down and make it “real.” Soon enough, you will finish the reading.
But, if you take the opportunity to become more mindful, the
reading itself becomes sacred.
Today's Morning Sip originally
appeared July 6, 2004, and can be found, along with others, in theMorning Cup Archives.
