Experiencing the Joy of Connecting
With Our Children
Beautiful scene
Many parents
Many children
Mindful Parenting is a contemplative practice through which we become more mindful of our children and, in doing so, experience a more joyful life.
Your mindful parenting practice
tip
of the day.
Be sure to
sip slowly
The
Mindful Parent
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.
(c) 2003-2005
Zen Health. All rights reserved.
The Mindful Parent is a
servicemark of Zen Health.
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The Morning Sip: Your Ring and
Your Child's Hand
Today's
verse opens us to the presence of our child in our life each time
we glance down and see a ring on our finger. (If you do not
wear a ring, then you can imagine the sensation of your child's hand
around your wrist if you wear a bracelet or watch).
I
feel this ring
Wrapped around my finger
Like my child's little hand
Today, when you notice one of your rings,
shift your awareness so that you feel the metal hugging your
finger. Move the ring around a bit if that helps to locate the
sensation. Is it cold? Is it tight? Recite the verse
and reflect on the time (Was it yesterday? Was it 20 years ago?)
when your small child would wrap his or her tiny fingers around your
fingers. Just as you felt the metal of the ring, open awareness
to feel the warmth of your child's precious fingers. Can you
see them?
When you do this, slow down and sink into the moment.
Breathe deeply and slowly. Exhale fully. How wonderful
to share the warmth of your hand with the warmth emanating from your
child's hand.
Connect with your child each time you glance down
at your fingers. It takes but a flicker of an instant.
Smile.
Originally Published August 30, 2004