Mindful Parenting is a contemplative practice through which we become more mindful of our children and, in doing so, experience a more joyful life.
Today's Sip:
Speak to Your Child as if The Words Were Your Last on Earth.
We've all heard the saying, "live each day as if it were your
last." The meaning is clear: if you believed this were
your last day alive, you would get your priorities straight, you would
live each moment fully, you would have no regrets.
Today, when
you are with your child, speak to your child as though the words
were your last. This may be difficult to do throughout the day
so, pick one time in particular.
When you are with your child
or speaking to your child over the phone (or e-mail), imagine that
some traumatic event took place out of the blue, rendering you with
but a few minutes to live. This need only take place in
your mind.
Breathe deeply and slow your thinking. Do not
plan what you are going to say. When the time is right,
it will emerge from a mindful place. Try to really role
play the facts of this tragedy. You have but a few more
breaths left and a few more words to utter.
Look to your
child with soft eyes and share with them what you would
were you on your deathbed -- your final words. It need
only be a profound moment to you.
Afterward, reflect on what
emerged. Rarely do we get a second chance or the opportunity
to learn, in this lifetime, from the experience.
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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.
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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.
