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 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.
The Daily Sip: Opening The Refrigerator
Door
and The Light of Mindfulness
We all have the light
of mindfulness within us. It shines at those times when we accept
the events taking place around us, when we feel an inner calm and
serenity, and when we listen deeply to others and to ourselves.
At other times, the light becomes overwhelmed and foggy.
We act in haste, neglect what is taking place before our eyes, and
react in an automatic mode, reenacting the same old scripts.
The
practice of mindful parenting helps awaken us to the present
moment. At such times, the light of mindfulness shines bright,
illuminating the here and now.
Today's tip looks to the refrigerator
as a mindful parenting cue to help awaken you to the present
moment. The refrigerator contains the food that nourishes your
child. You are continually placing food into the refrigerator
and taking it out. Each time you open the refrigerator door,
a light turns on. It is a light that, prior to your opening
the door, was off.
It is common to walk around mired
in thoughts of past and present -- both pleasant and unpleasant.
At such times, your light of mindfulness is off. Each time
you open the refrigerator door today, take note of the light that
turns on. Allow that awareness to turn on the light of mindfulness
within yourself. Sense a warm light turning on within your body,
both in your head and your heart.
As you witness the
light turn on, bring your thoughts to the food that your child
eats, the food that nourishes and sustains your child. Visualize
your child, wherever he or she may be and, breathing deeply, open
awareness to our wonderful planet Earth, which gives birth to the
food. Look to your feet and gently touch your foot to the ground
in appreciation.
