Lección 1
Learning To Be Present
We’re starting with the basics: building relationships takes presence. And that means both physical and emotional. When you make the effort to be nearby, available, and ready to support your child whenever needed, they feel your devotion and loyalty to them. These are the foundations of connection between parent and child.
Lección 2
Answering Bids
No matter what age or stage your child is in, if they’re still living at home, they need you. These needs are expressed in different ways-- but often they can fall under the umbrella of “bids for attention.” The way you answer these bids can be incredibly impactful on your relationship and your connection. Today we discuss just what this means.
Lección 3
Trust And Dependability
Your child is quietly and subconsciously making judgments about how much they can trust and depend on you. Today we take a closer look at ourselves and how we are showing up for our children in this way. When trust is strong and dependability is well-established, connections become solidified.
Lección 4
Emotions And Empathy
Emotions are an inevitable and beautiful part of being human. While emotions can certainly complicate our experience in the world, they also present an unmatched opportunity for connection. Today we talk about how your mindfulness practice supports your emotional intelligence, and also how it can help you empathize with your child through their emotions.
Lección 5
Believing In Your Child
You are your child’s biggest fan. How imperative it is that they feel your belief and confidence in them. Of course, they will probably disappoint you from time to time and inevitably make mistakes. But how you handle these hiccups can make all the difference in their ability to succeed, and especially in the connection between you two.
Lección 6
Mutual Respect
The foundation of any meaningful relationship is respect for one another. And while you can’t force your child’s respect for you, you can certainly earn it, by showing the utmost respect for them, no matter how they act, what decisions they make, and how they feel about you. When you lead and parent with respect for your child, they see a powerful example, while growing a real and abiding respect for you.
Lección 7
Improving Communication
There’s no relationship without communication, and a thriving relationship is built on effective and meaningful communication. Today we discuss what you can do to improve your communication with your child, no matter their age. We talk about how your mindfulness practice supports these efforts, strategies to keep the doors of communication open, and how to connect with your child in everyday interaction.
Lección 8
Mindful Humility
Most of us are imperfect parents. That’s why we’re here! But how important it is to admit that we’re imperfect, and that we make mistakes. And how critical it is to be humble enough to admit this to our children. When we slip up or judge erroneously, our children need to see us modeling repair and forgiveness. This is a valuable lesson to them, and integral in our relationship with them.
Lección 9
Gentle Guidance
Raising and shaping a child is a heavy responsibility. We feel constant pressure to teach our children, correct their behavior, and influence them in nearly every way. There are many ways to do this, and every family is different. But today we talk about some guiding principles that may help you find more grace, flow, and cooperation as you gently guide your children.
Lección 10
Physical Affection
In today’s lesson, we touch on a simple yet effective strategy for connecting with your child: physical affection. While this will look different across different families and cultures, this natural gesture can do wonders to draw two people closer together, on a chemical and visceral level.
Lección 11
Humor And Playfulness
There’s nothing like a sincere smile or a good laugh to break the ice and loosen people up. In the family, this can be an extremely powerful tool to break tension, ease difficult emotions, and create a feeling of connection. Today we’ll talk about the importance of this principle and what you can do to employ it more often in your family environment.
Lección 12
Wrapping It All Up
You’ve made it this far! We’ve discussed so many different, yet extremely important and foundational principles in building a deep and abiding connection with your child. Today we review those principles and do a short meditative practice to sharpen our self-reflective and intentional skills. Then we’ll move forward, feeling inspired, empowered, and ready to create the connected relationships that we have always desired to have with our children.
