The Mindful Parent
Experiencing
the Joy of Connecting With Our Children
Beautiful scene
Many parents
Many children
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.
Your mindful parenting practice tip
of the day.
Be sure to
sip
slowly
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(c) 2003-2004 Zen Health. All rights
reserved.
The Mindful Parent is a servicemark of Zen Health.
Today's Sip: The
Mindful Bedtime Story
Perhaps one of the most sacred moments
we share with our child is when we read to them. During
these times they are fully engaged, fully present. Are we?
With
so much going on in our lives, it is easy for our minds to veer off
into reflections on the past or the anticipation of future events.
All the while our mouths mindlessly recite the words on the page. When
that happens, we miss so much.
Turning this page
I
take a breath
And marvel that I am here
With my beautiful child
Today, when you read to your child,
take a breath as you turn each page and reflect on the extraordinary
gift that life offers you at that moment. Look deeply into your
child -- observe your child's emotions and honor your child by listening
to what he or she wants to share with you about the story.
Smile with the knowledge that opening to this moment will slow it
down and make it “real.” Soon enough, you will finish the reading.
But, if you take the opportunity to become more mindful, the
reading itself becomes sacred.
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