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.
The Morning Sip: The Spedometer
And Your Child
The practice of mindful parenting breaks down
the fluidity of time into observable units. By becoming more
mindful of the present moment, we pace ourselves. It is like
watching the celluloid of an old movie run through the projector at
a slowed down rate. You see each still image.
Today’s tip
helps to us become more aware of the passage of time. When you
are in a car, pay attention to the speedometer. As you accelerate,
at some point you will reach a speed equal to your child’s age. Perhaps it is five miles an hour because you child is five years old. Perhaps it is 35 miles per hour. When your child’s age is reached,
take a deep breath and visualize your child. Smile. As
you press down on the accelerator (or as someone presses down on it)
open awareness to the passage of time – how it seems to accelerate
with each passing day.
When you remove your foot from the accelerator
and the speedometer reads a speed that is the age of your child again,
open awareness to the passage of time – both going forward and backward. Sense your child growing from an infant to an adult and then from
and adult to an infant. As you reach your child’s current age,
open your heart to the magic of this moment. It is fleeting. With mindfulness, we see it as it is.
Experiencing the Joy of
Connecting With Our Children
The Mindful Parent
Your mindful parenting practice tip
of the day.
Be
sure to
sip slowly
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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