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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the bliss that awaits you.
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Today's Sip: License
Plates
We are inundated with numbers. Much of the time
we see right through them, having habituated to their presence.
One example is automobile license plates. Whatever vehicle
we might be in and regardless of whether we are driving or a passenger,
at any given moment we can see numerous license plates, and they are
always changing.
This routine observation can serve as a wonderful
cue to mindful parenting.
Today, look at license plates with intention.
Scan for a number in your child's age. Perhaps your child
is seven; look for a "7." Perhaps your child is 23; look
for the combination "23" or merely for the presence of a "2" and a
"3" in the plate. When it clicks and the numbers are
seen, relax. Smile and open your awareness to your child's presence ,
wherever he or she may be. Is she sitting in the back seat?
Is she on another continent? In the moment of awareness, allow
your awareness to incorporate imagery of your child -- a glance at
what they might be doing at the moment.
Instead of so many
of the thinking-events taking place in your mind while you are driving,
let this tip clear your mind of the hectic thought process you experience
for so much of the day.
This is not a time for more thought.
It is an opportunity you create for yourself to clear your mind and deepen
your connection to your child.
You might even feel an unexpected joyful
surge.
