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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Today's Sip: Mindful Verses and Parenting
Today's
tip is big enough for the weekend (also, I will be out of town) so
the next column will appear on Monday.
Often I receive
e-mails asking for help with a parenting issue. There
is always a helpful response grounded in the practice of mindful parenting,
but it does not directly address the parenting issue. It focuses
on the parent, which, in turn, may assist with the specific issue.
The June 18th column discusses this at greater length.
When
parents are looking for guidance with immediate results, the creation
of a mindful parenting verse which is then shared with the child can
sometimes prove helpful.
A good example can be found with the
verse on brushing your child's teeth. The verse is to be created
from a mindful place, for then it resonates true with you and your
child. Some instruction can be found here. (scan for the
section "Creating the Verse from Within a Mindful Parenting Place.")
Breathe
deeply, relax your body, and release your thoughts as if they
were birds let out of a cage. Open your awareness
to the problem at hand and sit silently for a few minutes. Stray
thoughts will emerge -- let them go. Insight will flow
which you can capture in verse. It doesn't matter whether it
is a literary masterpiece; it comes from your heart. It does
not preach to your child. Instead, it opens awareness to what
is happening. It is descriptive. It is genuine.
Even
though the process is one inviting spontaneity, after you've jotted the
verse down, you may want to edit and refine it, keeping to its essence.
Or, you may want to start over.
Share it with your
child. Don't be pushy. You may even start reciting it by
yourself. Perhaps your child will join in. Perhaps not.
Perhaps it will make no difference. Perhaps it will take time.
Regardless, it will help you look more deeply into the issue
and that insight works magic, on both you and your child.
