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: Mindful Parenting
Heals
The Parent
From time to time I am asked for suggestions on how
to help deal with a particular problem a parent is having with a child.
Each message I receive touches me deeply because the intense love
(and sometimes fear or anxiety) behind the message is palpable.
While
I respond to every e-mail and form mail, I do not make suggestions
for dealing with the child. I leave that to your better judgment
and persons trained in parenting skills and child development.
The
practice of mindful parenting focuses on the parent and the wonderful qualities
to emerge when we are mindful of our child -- when we tap into our
deep connection to our child. My responses focus on this dimension.
Of course, the more fully we connect with our child, the readier we
are to really listen to our child and understand and respond
to his or her needs.
Today, recite the following verse
to help connect more fully to your child in their time of
distress. It can be recited at any time your child is upset
or, if they are not upset or you are apart from them, you may
want to bring your thoughts to a subject that causes distress in your
child. When you recite it, bring yourself to a place of inner
stillness (even if you are standing in the middle of Times Square,
are a spectator at a soccer game, or have many children romping all
around you). Breathe deeply and let each stanza soak into the
core of your being, for it is there that it resonates most profoundly.
At first your cries may confuse me
But now
I feel your heart beating so fast
I
can taste the salt of your tears
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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