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.
Sign
up for The Mindful Parent newsletter and receive information and tips
on mindful parenting. It's easy, free, and fulfilling.
The Daily Sip: Love
and Fear: Opening To Your Child With Love
Some spiritual disciplines
elevate "fear" and "love" as two primary states we experience.
Put simply, we either are feeling fear or we are feeling love,
and we have the ability to let go of the fear and embrace love --
no matter the circumstance.
Today, we you are interacting with
another person, take a slow deep breath and, while examining that
person's conduct, consider whether they are feeling fear or love. If
it is love, you probably will feel embraced and feel good inside.
If it is fear, then the interaction may be strained, and there may
be conflict or unease.
When you identify "fear" in another, open
awareness to your child and bring to mind a recent instance when
your child was unhappy -- experiencing and expressing fear. This
might have been when your child didn't get what he or she wanted,
screamed, or was angry over a matter. It might have been
when your child was tearful, reluctant to do something, or
worrisome.
As you bring to mind images of your child feeling
unhappy, feel your heart soften as you consider the fearfulness behind
your child's conduct. Perhaps this compassion will transform
how you choose to respond to the person with whom you are interacting.
In
his wonderful and influential book, "Love is Letting Go of Fear,"Gerald Jampolsky explains that forgiveness frees us to feel
and express love. And when we live in this free state,
we feel deep inner peace. And of course, when we feel inner
peace, our connection to our child and to the cosmos blossoms.
