Mindful Parenting
In our hectic day to day life we often do things that we give little or no attention to. How many times, you were cut off by a car, or dropped something and used a curse word, to have your child repeat it over and over again. Children are like sponges and they absorb whatever it is that they hear & see. Yes, it is very difficult to be mindful all time,but Mindful parenting helps you to tune into a sense of an inner landscape as you’re going through the day. Start to pay attention to your thinking. Observe that your self-talk is constant. Start to bring awareness to your thoughts and the tension in your body. Remember, feelings come along with thoughts. Ask yourself, “Am I actually really worried about this, or am I just starting to obsess out of habit?” When you create more freedom and space around the source of those feelings, especially when they are very strong, you have more effective choices. You can also use the breath. For me, taking a slow, deep, intentional breath can bring me back. Sometimes it helps to put a hand on yourself, and say “here I am” to bring calmness to the situation.
Consequently, mindful parenting is seeing and remembering to bring this kind of understanding and insight to our precious moments with our children. It is a true routine that carries with it profound benefits for both children and parents, Being open to learn, from these beautiful little people means paying attention, and learning to take a step back and be still within ourselves. In silence, we are better able to see past the core, of our predisposed beliefs in which we are so frequently caught up, and in return create calmness and insight, which we can bring directly to our parenting.
Parents have their own needs and desires and lives, just as children do. Our needs as parents is very different from those of our child/ren. Rather than comparing our selves or expecting our children to understand our desires we stop comparing our childhood with our children, develop a special consciousness, in moments, of how our needs are interdependent. Our lives are distinctly deeply connected. When I am happy, so are my children, and when they are happy I am happy too. If they are not doing well, we suffer, and if we are not doing well, they suffer. Everyone benefits when we are aware of our children's needs as well as our own.Bringing forth, this kind of sensitivity to our parenting will enhance our sense of intimacy with our children. Through the quality of our presence, our commitment to them is felt, even in difficult times. And we may find that our choices in moments of conflicting and competing needs will come more out of this heart-felt connection, and as a result will have greater kindness and wisdom in them.
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