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: Tell Your Child
Your
Love Is Forever
As our child matures, we can come to
believe that our connection to our child changes. It does
not. The many facets of who we are and who our child is
forever evolve. We appear to change and the nature of our
relationship may change, but at the core we are the same parent and
child we were at the moment of our child's birth, of our child's conception
-- at whatever moment we first made contact with our child
-- perhaps at the beginning of it all.
We all too often allow our
child's marvelous, and sometime anxiety provoking, growing independence
to place barriers between us and our child. Sometimes our child
initiates and maintains such barriers. But nothing stops you
from connecting with your child at the deepest of levels. That
connection transcends both the physical and intellectual.
Today,
tell your child that your love for him or her is forever in your heart
and mind -- that nothing will ever change that. That no matter
where they go or what they do, your love will exist in your heart
and mind as powerfully as it did when they were a baby and when you're
hugging each other.
When you say this to your child, say it from
a place of mindfulness. In preparation, begin to slow your breathing
and take slow, comfortable deep inhalations and exhalations.
Open awareness to your hands -- feel them tingle. Look your
child in the eyes and hold their hands if you are together (do this
over the phone, if you are separated).
Sharing these words with
your child is an end in itself. It comes from deep within.
There is no need for a response or follow-up conversation. Sit
with the moment as it arises. Expect nothing. You may
be surprised.
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.
Sign up for The Mindful Parent newsletter and receive
information and tips on mindful parenting. It's easy, free, and
fulfilling.
