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.
The Daily Sip:
Give To Your Child
and Reflect In Mindfulness
The ways in which we choose to respond
to our children's wishes and demands can often create inner conflict.
We wonder whether we were too harsh, or too lenient. Many times,
our reaction is driven more by what we have going on than by
a deep awareness of our child's needs.
To be sure, there are
times that pressing needs do not allow us the latitude to be generous
with the time we can devote to our child. At other times, we become
too wrapped up in the minutiae to break away from a project,
even for a few seconds. The practice of mindful parenting helps
us to more compassionately navigate through these otherwise challenging
moments.
A common scenario is when a child interrupts a parent,
engaged in a task, with a simple question. Often, the parent
is so absorbed in the task, that they may not even acknowledge
the child. A shooing away motion often follows realization
that the child is there.
Because you have, over many years, developed
a manner for dealing with these types of intrusions, you may be making
assumptions regarding the consequences of breaking away for a moment.
Today's tip involves a deliberate breaking away and a subsequent
reflection so that you may more accurately assess the situation and
learn ways to respond that meet both your needs and those of
your child.
The next time your child interrupts you while
engaged in a task, energize yourself to fully breakaway from
the task and devote a few minutes to your child offering your full
attention. It does not matter how long you spend as long as
you release the tug of the task so that you can listen deeply to your
child. Then you can respond from the heart.
Shortly
afterward, reflect on the experience of giving yourself
fully to your child. How did the interaction feel?
Did your work suffer?
You may find
that you have more time for your child, that your work does not
suffer, that your child feels a renewed sense of being listened
to, and that you have more energy and an open heart.
