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Program director: Seeking developmentally appropriate matter what culture or place people
to create a community-based lesson. The weekly email newsletter come from.
setting for my children’s spiritual contained a report from the
formation as well as support for children’s teacher so that parents These four phases of my life, taken
my family as a whole, I started a could follow up and integrate together, inform the principles
Sunday morning family program material at home in the week that and structure of my vision for
here in Durham, North Carolina. followed. family dhamma programming. My
After several years of working with own children have gone through a
parents and children, I observed Because I have had the privilege children’s dhamma program over
that many parents were restarting of hearing parents candidly share the course of seven or so years.
their connection to spiritual what’s happening at home, I’ve also In thinking about their future,
development after some time away learned that no matter how good a although I hope the best for them,
from it. In many ways, they were family looks on the outside, there’s I know that there are inevitable
as much beginners as were their almost always pretty significant difficulties that I cannot protect
children. As such, parents needed stuff going on at home. For me them from when they go out on
an introduction to the material just personally, it’s been a relief to their own. I see the work I’m
as their children did. I also realized learn that there is no such thing doing with them now as essential
that family life was incredibly fertile as a perfect parent. But more preparation for their survival and
ground for putting mindfulness and important, the stories I’ve heard flourishing in adulthood. EH
teachings into practice, that a family have helped me see that a lot of
was a spiritual mini-community. families are suffering and they Adapted from Sitting Together:
This aha moment led me to create need compassionate relief, support, A Family-Centered Curriculum
learning units that synchronized and care. My work, in addition to on Mindfulness, Meditation, and
the topics between the adult my marriage to a native of Korea, Buddhist Teachings by Sumi
and children’s programs. When has allowed me to connect with Loundon Kim, ©2017 by Sumi
the adults were learning about Asian American families as well as Loundon Kim. Reprinted by
being mindful of their speech, for families in Asia. I’ve learned that the permission of Wisdom Publications,
example, the children had a similar, challenges, anxieties, and needs of www.wisdompubs.org.
parents are generally the same no