Have you ever heard someone remark,
‘These kids, they sure grow up fast. They’re babies one day, and before you know it, they’re graduating from high school’?”
Perhaps you’ve had similar thoughts regarding the speed at which children grow up. Since many of us bemoan that time passes quickly, perhaps we should start focusing more earnestly when they are young. Being alert to their growth as it occurs.
We should relish our time with them in the present since, in the blink of an eye, their childhood will only remain as memories. While it’s essential to plan for the future, it’s equally important to be mindful of the present. That is the beauty of Mindful Parenting.
What exactly is Mindful Parenting? The term “Mindful Parenting” has been in existence since 1997 and includes the concept of living in the moment with your children. Mindful Parenting involves being aware, in tune, and empathetic to your child’s feelings. It is a holistic approach as you consider your child’s thoughts and feelings and connect them with your own.
As a parent of three, I am interested in the various styles of parenting and understanding the benefits of each style. There are several principles we could cover on Mindful Parenting, but for the sake of brevity, we are just focusing on three in this writing. It is important to realize that no one is a perfect parent, so these three principles should be viewed as goals we can strive for as we parent our kids and try our best to direct them.
Let’s take a look at these very solid principles.
Being Present
As parents, we all make mistakes. We get busy with life and conversations with others. Our child may come into the room and wish to tell us something that is important to them, and we don’t really hear or listen to what they are saying because our attention is elsewhere. However, it is important to give them our attention and listen.
Being present means being involved with our child at the moment and being in tune with their thoughts and feelings as it relates to our own reflections. By living in the moment we form stronger bonds and demonstrate to our children that they are greatly valued. Every interaction should be viewed as a chance to build confidence and facilitate growth.
2. Unconditional Love
My background is elementary education, and one of the first lessons I learned was to never label a child as good or bad. Children exhibit behaviors, and these behaviors should be disconnected from the child. The concept of Mindful Parenting encourages us to understand the reasons behind a child’s challenging behavior.
Finding the cause of behaviors gives you the opportunity to adjust undesirable behaviors at its source. The reverse is true as well. If you are able to understand the source of good behavior you can use reinforcing reward (which is crucial in Mindful Parenting) to encourage children to continue in a positive direction.
The bottom line to all of this is to love them unconditionally despite their behaviors. Recognize them as valuable human beings that are going to succeed and make mistakes but through the ups and downs, they need to be confident that they are loved.
Meaningful, Mindful Moments
Fostering acceptable behavior is largely influenced by the amount of quality time we spend with our children. As mentioned above, it is vital to build deep connections on a meaningful level.
When a parent has a deep relationship with a child, it provides them with a greater amount of credibility and influence when trying to shape their behaviors. Modeling emotional regulation becomes more effective as well.
Here are three areas in which we can build meaningful moments that will last a lifetime and a tremendous impact on our children.
- Reading with them
I love reading to my children. It not only gives me the opportunity to share a moving story or an adventure with them but provides teachable moments too.
- Connecting with Nature
A few months back, my son and I went hiking on a mountain. His wonder and excitement were magical, especially when we reached the top and he gazed upon an awe-inspiring view. How exciting!
Nature teaches both parent and child profound lessons. Spending time in nature also offers the opportunity to build memories and gives children a better awareness of the world around them and a desire to preserve and protect the earth.
- Nurturing Conversations and Spirituality
My kids are always eager for me to pray with them as well as having meaningful discussions. Of course, such conversations have to be at their level but they do have a natural curiosity about the bigger aspects of life.
These discussions cultivate a deeper understanding of the world and their place in it, laying a strong spiritual foundation that guides them with purpose and resilience. They also plant seeds for future growth.
In conclusion, Mindful Parenting offers an approach to parenting that emphasizes the importance of being fully present with our children, loving them unconditionally. This style of parenting reminds ut to invest quality time in activities such as reading, exploring nature, and nurturing spiritual conversations.
Mindful Parenting invites us to treasure the present, rewarding both parent and child in multiple ways. These are only three principles and much more can be written and will be written in the future.
Source: Healthline: What is Mindful Parenting Date source researched: July 8, 2023
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash
