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.
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Today's Sip: Leaving the Nest,
Part III
Today's tip is the third and final part of the "Leaving
the Nest" series. While it is not necessary to do so, you may
want to read Part I and Part II. These two segments opened
awareness to our preparation for our child's entering into our lives,
and to our child's development and movement toward independence, respectively.
As with today's tip, the previous two tips use the imagery of
birds and provide a verse to recite when the sight or sound of a
bird enters awareness during the day.
Today's tip has us
soaring with our child.
My sweet child
We
soar with the wind
Still,
our wings touch
Baby birds learn to fly very quickly. Their independence is
remarkable. How quickly it is that our child gains independence.
It may be independence from breast feeding, from our overseeing their
homework, from their keeping us informed on where they go in
the evening, and, in most cases, from us as they move away
from home.
Each stage of your child's growing independence
can be likened to your child taking wing and flying in the air,
as if a bird. Through the practice of mindful parenting, we understand that, regardless
of the circumstance, we are always connected to our child
-- we have the capacity to feel that connection deeply.
Today,
when you hear or see a bird, breathe deeply and imagine you and
your child flying high in the sky. Smile. Recite the verse
and imagine cool air flowing around you, lifting you both higher
and higher. And as you are flying alongside one another, sense one
of your wings lightly touching one of your child's wings.
Sometime
afterward, if you have the opportunity, hold your child's hand
and open to this sensation as you imagine yourself flying again
with your child.
