A Busy Parent's Guide to Mindfulness

A Busy Parent’s Guide to Mindfulness
Being a parent doubles your reasons for being mindful because living in the moment benefits you and your children. As you increase your own peace of mind, you’re becoming a stronger role model for the rest of your family. Your children will feel more secure and may be less likely to engage in risky behavior
Try these practical tips for living in the present moment.
Tips for Mindful Discipline
Discipline is more effective when you focus on training rather than punishment. When you learn to understand your own emotions and triggers, you build your capacity to respond constructively under pressure.
Try these activities to bring more mindfulness into your discipline:
1. Pause first. If you’re tempted to yell or nag, take a breath first. Consider your options. Maybe your child needs a reminder or maybe they need a more detailed explanation of what you define as keeping their room clean.
2. Think positive. Pay attention to what your child does well, in addition to their lapses. Focus on working together to find solutions instead of imposing penalties.
3. Listen closely. Let your child know that you’re willing to hear their side of the story. Validate their feelings even if you disagree with their behavior.

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4. Prioritize your relationship. Keep mishaps in perspective. Your relationship with your child is more important than any individual episode. Be willing to make exceptions to your own rules when it serves the greater good.
Tips for Mindful Leisure
Even if your free time is limited, you can use it productively.
Use these methods to give your child a head start on developing mindful habits that will enrich their life:
1. Manage technology. Set limits on TV and computer time when it’s not related to school work. Turn off all devices at least an hour before bedtime to promote more restful sleep.
2. Develop hobbies. Encourage your child to explore their interests. Hobbies can help them to reduce stress, express their creativity, and pick up new skills.
3. Continue learning. Support your child’s motivation to learn. Volunteer at their school and read bedtime stories at home.
4. Encourage giving. Mindfulness and generosity reinforce each other as you experience the joys of giving. Volunteer as a family at a local animal shelter or food kitchen. Praise your child when they carry groceries for a neighbor or lend their notes to a classmate.
General Tips for Mindful Parenting
Mindfulness is a way of life. Look for opportunities throughout your day to let go of expectations and make conscious choices.
Consider these strategies:

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1. Eat together. Make family meals a regular habit. Sit down for breakfast each morning or designate at least one night when everyone has dinner at the same time.
2. Create morning rituals. Start the day by sharing a practice that reminds you to stay mindful. Take a walk around the block together. Write in a gratitude journal.
3. Meditate regularly. Seated meditation isn’t the only way to practice mindfulness, but it is one of the most powerful tools. Start out gradually so your children will enjoy it.
4. Play games. Make your mindfulness sessions fun. Draw pictures and listen to songs. Put on a puppet show or wear special costumes.
5. Find an app. If you’re looking for more ideas, browse online. There are many free meditation and mindfulness apps, and some of them are designed especially for parents and children.
Mindfulness is one of the most valuable gifts you can pass on to your children. Help your family members to awaken to their potential and experience more peace and happiness.

Mindful Parenting

#Mindful Parenting

Whatever you parenting style is, you can incorporate mindfulness and benefit from how it improves your relationship with your self than your child/ren. We all know that life happens, in our hectic day to day life we often do things that we give little or no attention to. 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 still within ourselves.In silence, we are better able to see past the core, of our predisposed beliefs in which we can bring directly to our parenting.That's why I connect with mindful parenting, because mindful parenting teaches us that everything you say & do shouldn't come unconsciously ,it should not be automatic. Interacting with children  should be a mindful! It should happen, because we want to pass all the loving kindness to our children, so they too can feel that for themselves and pass it on. 

Usually when we feel disconnected, it helps to go back to the basics. First and foremost if we are not connected to ourselves than we certainly can not be expected  to be connected to our children. Practicing "mindful parenting has to do more with the parents, than with the kids. "

1. Self Care- The most difficult task, you ask a parent to do is taking care of themselves. Are you taking care of your needs? Are you eating right and sleeping enough? Are you being productive for your self? If your answer is no! Than I invite you to take initiative and be more active in doing at least one thing for yourself everyday! ( it could be anything). 

2. Create a Happy, Healthy Home! 

The truth is, children are messy and it's unfortunate that you can't have the best of both worlds and have your home look like HGTV magazine. 

You will clean, and organize and it will get dirty and disorganized again, and that's okay. A home that is filled with love of active children will get dirty. 

3. Learn to say "No" 

Set boundaries for your self and practice

 being assertive. You can't be a mindful parent and do it all. Most parents approach me and ask if they are a "bad" parent for not having play dates every day. Play dates are wonderful if you can arrange them in a non- stressful way. If they cause your child to fall behind on school work, or cause a disturbance in your daily routine, than allow yourself to do to say "no". Attending  all social obligations, every PTA meeting, and having a career is a difficult task. Take only what you can do, with out burning yourself out. 

4. Gratitude- Acknowledging the small things that we usually take for granted. Remembering all the good in your life, can lessen the impact of all the bad. Concentrate, on your desires and dreams and make them your reality. 

5. Be Present- start paying 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 so acknowledging, the feeling will allow you to create more space around the source of the feeling and brings you back to yourself  and to what is really important. Everyone benefits when our children's needs are being met. By bringing this kind of sensitivity to our children and ourselves  the quality of our presence, our commitment to them is felt, even in difficult times. We will realize, in moments of conflict and competing needs our being will  come more out of this heart felt- connection, and as a result will have greater kindness and wisdom in them. 

Child Molestation and abuse- Commentary on http://www.jewishcommunitywatch.org/the-child-rape-assembly-line/

http://www.jewishcommunitywatch.org/the-child-rape-assembly-line/
In the past few months, there has been a great amount of deliberation about sexual abuse towards children and our community. This article brings me so much sadness, but than there is relief, that someone as courageous as this man, has given his being and identity to bring some awareness to these acts of abuse. As stated in the article, about 70% acts of abuse, happens from a person the child knows and trusts. Unfortunately these, sick individuals pry on the innocence of children and once they feel they can be trusted they take action. As parents, we are and have to be the biggest advocates for our youth, and that starts with clear communication. I say clear, because some parents believe that culturally is not proper to teach children the correct names of their private parts and or speak to young children about sexual and individual privacy. If you teach your child that they have a head, two hands, and two feet, why wouldn't you tell them the correct name for their genitals? Speaking with your children, about their privacy and body parts needs to be normalized and spoke about often. Allow them to feel comfortable to speak with you, if they have felt uncomfortable by anyone. The painful scars of, Sexual abuse and molestation are not only physically but mentally and scars remain and affects individuals socially. “The feeling of betrayal heals, but is never erased.” Many, individuals whom are not permitted, to share the pain of their abuse and loss of their innocence often, grow to have many problems from sexual dysfunction and sexual identity disorder, to depression and anxiety. They become afraid to trust those around them, and than imagine how life would look like for your child if they could never trust anyone?