Page 20 - October 2020

Mindful Parenting During the Times

of Uncertainty

7 techniques to build into your relationships now

” The most precious gift we can offer others that emerging from paying attention to what is
is our presence. When mindfulness embraces going on with us and our children in the present
those we love, they will bloom like flowers.” moment. Cultivation of unbiased awareness
(Thich Nhat Hanh) helps us to relate to our children with non-
judgmental acceptance, without clouding our
The past few months of pandemics have been relationships with pre-conceived notions or
quite unusual and confusing times, for both desires that might not have anything do with

parents and children. Prior to the forced isolation the way how things really are. Why mindful
many of us were used to running around and approach to parenting is so important? When
being constantly distracted by the outside we see and accept our children’s nature and
world. We would come together and be with the dynamics of our relationship with them for
family only for the short time in the evenings. what they really are, we can make informed and
Our communications with children were often unbiased decisions of how to act and improve
reduced to helping them with homework and arising situations instead of acting on impulses
briefly catching up while driving to various or out of own unconscious needs.
activities. At this time, when many children are

staying home instead of going to day care or Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of the mindfulness-
school, we are forced to re-evaluate how we relate based stress reduction (MBSR) therapy, in his
to our children and re-adjust our interactive book “Full Catastrophe Living” points out seven
patterns with them. We are faced with the need necessary techniques that can be incorporated
not only to give our children an ability to survive into the mindful parenting relationships:
in the environment of fear and uncertainty, but
more importantly, give them an ability to thrive Non-judging. As a rule, many of our children’s
and develop to their full potential. actions or expressions are subconsciously
judged and categorized by our minds according
One of the wonderful tools for helping our kids to our previous life experiences. Nonjudgmental
to recognize and develop their talents and to attitudes means that we become aware of our

become well-adjusted adults, can be a mindful “judging” and make an effort to see a situation
approach to parenting. The mindful parenting with a fresh attitude, for “what it really is”
can be described as a continuous awareness instead of for “what we think it looks like”.
20 myindigosun.com