Mind full while Parenting or Mindful Parenting

Mindfulness means the capacity of being present at the moment and being aware of what is happening. And mindful parenting is about being present at the moment with your child and giving him your attention. It means managing your emotions and behaviors in order to help your children in managing theirs. Mindful parenting involves being non-judgemental and non-reactive while interacting with your child by being aware and attentive at the moment. It helps you be at the exact moment when your child needs you and that might strengthen your connection with him.

How does mindful parenting help you and your child?

– You become aware of why your child’s thoughts, reactions, and needs. You understand why he is behaving in a certain way.
– You become aware of your feelings and thoughts.
– It pushes you towards more positive parenting behaviors.
– It helps you build a better connection with your child.
– It helps you control your impulsive reactions.
– Your child is likely to suffer less from anxiety and depression.
– It builds your child’s self-esteem and helps him develop better-coping skills.
– You will see less aggression and impulsive behavior in your child.

What are some key factors to mindful parenting?

A strong and healthy connection between you and your child will help you in teaching your child for their growth. Practicing mindful parenting is a step towards nurturing your kids and making them stronger in facing challenges in life. With you, they will feel the safest and will want to listen to what you say and do what you ask.

According to studies, the key factors to mindful parenting are:

• Noticing your own feelings when you are in conflict with your child. When you are in conflict with your child, just remember that you don’t have to blame your child or yourself for whatever has happened. Notice and be mindful of your emotions. Keeping in mind that you have to make your child learn and not make him feel dejected, respond to him kindly. Know that it is the situation that is making your child react that way and responding to it with kindness would help you connect with your child and understand what is troubling him.
• Learning to pause before responding in anger. We all know that it is very difficult to have control over our anger in the heat of the moment and be patient. But remember that you need to respond and not react in impulse. Remind yourself to take a deep breath and focus your thoughts on the present moment. Just think of the moment when you were loving and kind to your child and it helped you connect better with him which you might hamper by being angry at him.
• Listening carefully to a child’s viewpoint even when disagreeing with it. You need to remember that you are dealing with a child. A child who is still learning to manage his feelings, his needs, and regulate his emotions. It is difficult for him to understand when and how to react which in turn might frustrate you and it is normal as you are a human being too. But instead of giving a reaction to their action, you can just be mindful of your emotions. Practice emotional regulation which your child will learn by imitating you.

One of the most important things to remember is that every child is different from one another. Their reactions, their ways of learning, and their capability of coping would be different. If you made your elder child used to finish his food by watching his favorite cartoon that does not necessarily mean that your younger child will also eat food the same way. Being a parent you will need to understand his behavior, needs, and thoughts in order to help him learn.

Being a mindful parent will pave a way for a better future for your child. He will learn better-coping skills, be confident, rightly expressive about his emotions, and walk on the path that you show him. You are helping your child be less prone to mental health issues and bad adolescent behaviors by guiding them right and being there for them at the right time.

Learning to respond rather than react does take a lot of patience and practice. You are a human being first then a parent, so just remember that it is okay to feel the way you do. It is not easy to be able to control your emotions and reactions to whatever is happening around you and hence keeping yourself a priority is also important. Just take out time for self-care. You need to take care of yourself and your needs too. Self-care is necessary to help you gather yourself together through everyday happenings. And at times when you react to getting out of control, you can simply apologize to your child. Do not feel guilty because even if you are a parent, you can make mistakes too. Promise yourself after that to be better the next time. The calmer mind you have, the more will you be able to practice positive parenting.

Also Read:

Positive Reinforcement for Kids and How it help your Child

Inclusive Children inherit a better World – Let’s Raise Inclusive Children

Screen time and Scream Time

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