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:
Your Child is Nature
We are all children of nature -- of
Mother Earth. Yet we tend to draw lines between ourselves and
the rest of nature. When it comes to our child, we tend to bring
them onto our side of the divide.
The emotions and feeling states
that pass through are child are not very different from the winds
that blow and the rain and snow that falls.
We tend
to find comfort in nature, both in the calm and in the not-so-calm.
Many of us enjoy looking out at a rainy day.
When your child
expresses his or her happiness and joy, anxieties and
anger, you are observing nature. Sunny days turn rainy and rainy
days turn sunny. In most every instance, you observe
and interact with your child from a safe place.
Today,
when your child expresses emotion, whatever the emotion, try to view
it as a natural part of our world. You do not judge a snowstorm,
nor do you try to control it. Approach your child the same way.
Breathe deeply and observe the phenomena.
This does not
mean to not parent your child. You may well want to
apply a calm and soothing touch, or discipline, or whatever feels
appropriate, (coming from a place of mindfulness). But you need
not become overly frustrated or try too hard to control how your
child is feeling or "should" be feeling.
We are all a part of
nature. Take a moment and observe how you are feeling during
these times.
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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