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.
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The Daily Sip:
Today's
Frustration Can Be A Gift For Tomorrow
The New Year is in
full swing and you may already be experiencing the pangs of tested
resolutions and trying interpersonal interactions. All of these
situations provide the opportunity to wake up to the present
moment and come alive. Today's sip will look to frustrating
moments that involve your child.
While our children forever
prove to be a source of great joy and happiness in our lives,
there are those moments where they test our resolve and do things
that disrupt the smooth flow of the moment. When this happens,
rather than ONLY be annoyed, wake up to what is really happening.
My child is causing me pain
Let me attend to this moment
Aware
that on another day
I will cherish the memory
Perhaps your child is being too "clingy."
Maybe he or she is making too much noise and not listening to you.
Whatever may be going on, there is an appropriate response --
though it may be difficult to manifest in light of the pain/frustration/anger
that is surfacing within you. You do your best.
If you
find yourself in this situation, recite today's verse and focus
in on the act that is causing you to react. You may not be able
to dispel the "over” reaction within you. That is okay. Shining the light of awareness on it is a wonderful gift you can give
to yourself and to your child, even if it changes nothing right away. And in that awareness, know that on another day, when you are
in a different place, you will cherish the moment you had been with
your child.
