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.
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The Daily Sip:
Throwing
Away Garbage
The practice of mindful parenting opens awareness
to your child, both when you are physically present with your child
and when you are distant from your child. When awareness
is opened, the connection between you and your child is vitalized
and joyful feelings surface. Such awareness can be
tapped during even the most mundane of events.
Each day,
it is common to throw out garbage. Perhaps it is taking
garbage pails out to the curb, pushing uneaten food off of a plate, or
merely tossing away a piece of paper. The elimination
or recycling of food and refuse can serve as powerful reminder
of the life cycle. Everything we throw away was, at
one time, alive -- pristine -- desirable -- full of potential.
So it is with all of us, and with every being who ever lived.
As I throw this into the garbage
I sense my child's aliveness
Growing, growing, growing
Your child's beautiful presence can
be felt at all times. It is a presence that is always changing,
always evolving. Where is the child who was once a few cells
-- multiplying? Where is the child that entered the world with
a cry that still echoes in your heart?
The passage of time ceases
when you are fully present with your child.
