You may have noticed that the blog has been silent for awhile, and that my last post was about how I had let my mindfulness practice slip. The truth is that I’ve been really struggling with precisely what mindful parenting means to me and how I want to implement it in my life and with my family.
I am still a newbie to mindfulness, and this blog is about finding my way into all of it. I found mindfulness practice because I was struggling to be the kind of parent I knew I could be, and wanted to be. I was getting frustrated with my daughters, I was snapping at them, and I knew that our interactions were not reflective of how much I not only love them, but also truly like them and enjoy spending time with them. I had read so many blogs and parenting books about what I should be doing (craft projects, new recipes every night, sticker charts, gratitude journals, special time alone with each child, positive discipline—the list goes on and on). All of these “suggestions” didn’t motivate me; they left me feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, and to be honest, resentful. It all felt like too much, and I knew I couldn’t do it all. Furthermore, I didn’t actually believe that I had to do all of that to be a good mother. But I knew I needed to do something.
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Expect a little magic to happen, Carla. I love this post of yours. You have chosen to “sit and breathe,” to give yourself the space to BE without all the DOing (the lists, the expectations,…). And, when you choose this, when you access the stillness and silence within you, that pause between one breath and the next, the space between your thoughts, you are dipping into the very source of who you are. You are pregnant with possibility, with pure potential. You cannot help but be transformed. Mindful parenting and all that jazz will flow as a natural extension of who you really are – present, aligned with something much more reliable than the latest trendy parenting book. Thanks for sharing your experience so honestly and authentically. Looking forward to the update! Rock Om.
Your post makes me relieved and sad at the same time… You gave words to my thoughts.. Things that I am afraid to say, fearful that they might be true… I support you, I feel your pain and I long for the feeling of “content.” If you find it please lead me…
That is the most profoundly honest thing I have read about parenting in a long time!! So poignant for me at this time as I struggle now with teens. As I become increasingly conscious that I am not serving them or myself well but really at a loss as to how to move forward now. I look forward to updates.
Thank you for this refreshingly HONEST post. I respect your authenticity and sincerity and I completely understand where you are coming from.
Beautiful insight! Mindfulness can certainly turn into another “To Do” and then bring on heaps of guilt for “not doing” which turns into guilt for “not being better because I am not doing.” I hear you discovering how mindfulness is about “being” right where you are, in this moment, whether you like it or not, and practicing non-judgment, non-striving, patience, acceptance and curiosity.
Peace,
Paul