Lição 1
Mindful Culture In The Family
Parenting can be seen as a divine calling, rife with responsibility, but also opportunities unique to this important role. Raising children has a way of challenging us in ways we don’t experience elsewhere. Your mindfulness practice can truly revolutionize your family relationships as you learn to be more present, compassionate, emotionally regulated, and direct your attention to what is most important.
Lição 2
Understanding Tweens And Teens
Today we set the stage for what is going on with your child. While rationally you know what adolescence is all about, in the moment of friction sometimes we forget that our tween or teen is doing exactly what they’re supposed to: defining themselves and learning to be independent of you. Cultivating mindfulness will help you to remember the bigger picture, and allow for more flexibility and acceptance of the process.
Lição 3
Starting With Ourselves
Nothing helps us to see ourselves more poignantly than dealing with a “mini-me” running around. If we want to be mindful parents, it’s critical that we take a good look in the mirror and recognize what we are modeling for our children and how we can improve. We need to recognize our own baggage, narratives, rigidities and expectations that may not be serving us or our relationships. We need to start with ourselves!
Lição 4
Learning To Let Go
On Day 4 of our course, we’ll explore the idea of sovereignty, letting our children be exactly who they are, and allowing for them to forge their own path in life. This doesn’t mean letting them do whatever they want, but rather that we honor, respect, and accept them and their choices, while mindfully and lovingly continuing to guide them as much as is appropriate over this period of development.
Lição 5
Developing Acceptance
Acceptance is one of the key principles of mindfulness, and will play a very important role in your parenting of tweens and teens. When we learn not to cling so tightly to expectations about how we want things to be, we soften. We see our children with more empathy and understanding, and open doors in our relationships with them.
Lição 6
Empathy And Love
Your love for your teen will change from year to year, becoming more mature and enduring as it undergoes different stages of development and as your relationship changes through the years. While it may be easy to be empathetic and loving some days, it will probably be very difficult other days. Today we’ll talk about how important this principle is in fostering a deep and abiding connection with your tween or teen.
Lição 7
Striking A Balance
Today we discuss the importance of using your parental wisdom and intuition to find that delicate balance in guiding and supporting your adolescent. Keeping appropriate boundaries and expectations is necessary to keep your child safe, but learning to let them fail at times also helps them to learn just what they’re capable of. Your belief in them no matter what will always support your relationship and may be a critical component in their success.
Lição 8
Connection And Communication
Communication with teens and tweens can be very difficult and takes a lot of patience, persistence, and strategy. The more you employ the skills of mindfulness, like empathy, acceptance, self-awareness and patience, the quicker you will learn what works with your child, and the deeper connection you will be able to create with them.
Lição 9
Patience As A Skill
On Day 9 of our course we’ll talk about just how important patience is in your parenting experience. Patience will help you to be more accepting of failures and mistakes, be more understanding and flexible when things don’t go as expected, and let go of the anxieties that accompany difficulties. Patience will help you to model equanimity and to be that still, calm base your teen can always return home to.
Lição 10
Keeping It All In Perspective
Today we wrap up our course by reviewing the mindful principles we’ve learned together over the course of these 10 days. But most importantly, we talk about the value of zooming out from time to time and remembering to keep everything in proper perspective. Your teen’s development may seem slow, but staying mindful will help you to see things as they are, appreciate progress, be positive, and love your child for who they are, in all their stages. Your mindfulness will help your relationship to bloom and flourish. You got this!
