Jennifer Couture and Sara Staley, our resident Wade Thomas Mindfulness teachers had a lot of great resources to share at the Parent Ed night about how to bring mindfulness into our family life and parenting. You can also visit their Mindful Classrooms website.
Their definition of mindfulness is:
Paying Attention to what is happening now, on purpose, without judgement and with awareness.
Paying Attention with kindness and curiosity so we can choose our behavior.
This translates into parenting by taking the time to pause, take a breath, observe and then move forward with intention. This helps us become a less reactive and a more intentional parent.
Other tips included:
- set boundaries
- be consistent and realistic
- make eye contact with your child when talking
- have a sense of humor
- model desired behavior
- create a safe and warm space
- love and teach love
- be present and limit multi-tasking
- create a family ritual
- unplug and connect
- be firm but flexible
Mindfulness