Welcome to the March 2004 Issue of The Mindful Parent Newsletter.
One of life's great joys is watching our children grow and mature.
We marvel at their excitement and enthusiasm as they learn new skills
and we reflect on the passage of time. Children grow up so fast and,
unless we slow ourselves down to soak in their childhood (and every
stage they pass through) we will miss it - even though we may be there
for it.
Regardless of whether we spend all day with our children or,
because of our schedules, see them only from time to time, we probably
do not perceive the extraordinary number of changes that take place
in their lives; our lives simply move too fast for us to detect these
beautiful, and sometimes subtle, changes.
Have you have ever deliberately
slowed in an effort to be more mindful of the present. If you have,
you may know the sensation of sudden alertness to things to which
you had been previously unaware. Recently, I slowed my pace while
walking through a beautiful forest. Prior to slowing down, I thought
I had been soaking in the beauty of the place. But after slowing my
pace, I began to hear the leaves fluttering around me. I looked to
my feet and saw the tiniest ants crawling in the dirt and over fallen
leaves. The wind, I had barely noticed before, began to roar in my
ears and felt cool again my cheeks.
It is the same with our children
as it is with the forest. If we are able to slow ourselves down, we
become witness to the beauty of their lives more fully than we might
have imagined. We need not change our personalities over night to
embrace this opportunity. The slowing down (and its wonderful benefits)
can be accomplished in the span of a few seconds. Through the practice
of mindful parenting, we welcome stillness into our daily lives, and
breathe into that stillness a deep-felt sense of our children. In
doing so, we vitalize our connection to them.
The following verse,
to be recited when we are with our child, when we see a picture of
our child, or as we imagine our child, may help to facilitate this
awareness.
My infant child's smile
And the smile I see today
Fleeting
as
A rosebud
Until next time.
Scott Rogers
Editor, The Mindful Parent.org
http://themindfulparent.org
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Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. The
Mindful Parent is a trademark of Zen Health.
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