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
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making this very compassionate contribution.
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devoted to working with you to enhance your ability to "be" with your
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The Daily Sip:
The
Car and Your Growing Child
Whether your child is a few weeks
old or 40 years old, there was a time when he or she was nourished
and protected within the womb. Today, that nourishment and protection
comes from you and from your child as he or she develops a growing
appreciation of how the world functions. And, as has always
been the case, your child, like you, is nourished and protected by
the Earth and the cosmos.
When you are driving in a car or bus,
or traveling on a train or plane, you enclose yourself in a protective
shell, much like a womb.
Today, when you find yourself driving
in a car, or otherwise traveling, look around you and observe that
you are enclosed in a protective space. Notice the rest of the
busy world swirling around you. As you do, observe the
similarities between where you are now and when you were enclosed
in your mother's womb. Then, bring awareness
to your child developing in his or her mother's womb. Was
it a few weeks ago? Was is almost a half century ago?
Take
a moment to visualize and sense the frailty of your child's then
small fingers and developing heart and brain. Sense the stillness
and buffered quietude of that precious space. Then open awareness
to the fact that your child is now "on the outside" and the role you
play in nourishing and protecting your child. Give thanks
to this marvelous Earth for providing all that you need.
And sense the vastness of the cosmos that miraculously protects
and nourishes the Earth.
As you exit the car and before
your feet touch the ground, breathe deeply and relax. Imagine
that you are exiting the womb and entering the outside world, ready
for each moment as it comes.
