Heart Centered Parenting is being fully present moment to moment with our child, heart, mind and spirit. Being connected with love and compassion even while facing difficulty together. Reaching deep within for patience and understanding when the need to control excessively or punish arises. Remembering always that this vulnerable being depends on us and that we love one another boundlessly.
Here are some bits of wisdom that inspired my children and I to thrive:
- Take time to enter into their play and fantasy worlds, receiving as we do so, a precious window into their thoughts and feelings.
- Take time to listen. No task or agends is more important than allowing children to be heard, seen and felt.
- Take time to be generous with affection and emotional support. These build a storehouse of good will to draw upon when we lose our center and nerves fray.
- Take time to be playful wirth connecting and fun experiences, like singing in the car or making a game out of chores. Be silly, curious and lighthearted. Children don’t like to feel they are a burden.
- Share of your vulnerabilities and mistakes as they relate to your child’s challenges. They are relieved not to be alone in their struggle and that you are not perfect.
- Encourage thier creantive problem solving and developing their personal sense of empowerment. They love to experiment and more is learned from mistakes than successes.
- Love them for their own unique gifts and sensitivities, not their ability to meet your needs or expectations.
- Model how to manage anger, impatience and disappointment using mutual cooling off times, personal reflection, reflective listening and accessing compassion. Children are mirrors for our own feelings, so we continually look at ourselves.
- Read about child development. Development follows a predictable path, intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. children have a predictable set of parenting needs at each stage, so development is an essential roadmap.
- Take care of yourself to prevent burnout and overwhelm. Rest, play, eat well, meditate and seek support from other parents and professionals.