Parenting

In the Meditation Group we shared a story about a man who had all materialistic things in his life, but wasn’t leading the life he wanted.  It touched a chord with one of the participants who shared that their child had been offered an amazing opportunity to work in the city with a large income.  But he had turned it down.  This Mum was so angry and disappointed with him, that she had a physical sensation in her stomach. 

I suggested that she put her hand over the area and just “accept” the sensation.  As she did this, she realised that she’d been pushing her own dreams and ambitions onto her child and whilst at university he was “ just trying to figure out how to live life". There was so much truth and conviction when he explained that he didn’t want to work a 70-hour week and even if he could afford a Porsche, there would be no time to enjoy driving it!   This realisation produced the sensation in her stomach.  As she worked on accepting it, the fluttering inside dispersed until she finally felt calm. 

 Kids of all ages are "just trying to figure out how to live life!"

 If we as parents can take this message to heart, there is really no reason to get so angry with them. It reinforced for me the importance of why I wish to reach teachers, parents and children to talk about the tools to be able to support kids as they 'figure out how to live life' without feeling bad about the mistakes they make along the way. Remember, we are products of our own environments.  Our kids, are our most precious resources. 95% of what are kids learn is in what is modelled to them.

An important suggestion is for parents and kids to spend time together, where the kids receive full attention and the adults listen more than talk. Only offer an opinion if they ask for it, and DON’T judge or criticize them.  Let them talk about whatever they want to, without interruption.

I am running a Parenting workshop on Saturday 11^th June if you or anyone you know is interested.  

My 3 wonderful kids