Letting Go of the Need to do Everything

Parents have a serious job when it comes to raising children who have the ability to appreciate and live in the moment. In today’s fast-paced world, children are faced with so many different messages that come at them so quickly. It takes a caring parent to help children wade through all the messages coming their way and help them to learn the fine art of mindfulness. It’s not an innate quality, but instead, one that must be practiced on a regular basis in order to be appreciated and learned.

Letting Go of the Need to do Everything
Perhaps one of the hardest things anyone can do is to accept that it’s impossible to do everything. In choosing one thing, you are saying no to another. A mindful parent understands this and makes value-based decisions based on this concept. A mindful parent also learns to appreciate this fact and resigns herself to enjoy the simplicity of the moment.

Recognizing and Appreciating Every Moment, Big and Small
The biggest lesson that the act of practicing mindfulness teaches, is the need to be present every second of your life. When you’re doing the laundry, be in the moment. Notice yourself loading the washer. Feel the water rush across your hands as the cycle starts. The more your children see you actively engage in the present moment the more they will practice the same behaviors.

Discuss the Importance of Living Every Moment Mindfully
Depending on the age of your children, the way you explain the concept of mindfulness should be adapted to fit your audience. Just as you would alter your language to speak to a group of dentists about dental articles, your speech will have to be adapted to fit your children’s age and level of understanding. It’s a good idea to use simple examples for extremely young children. You might talk about how sad it would be to miss a day at the park playing or to feel the sun on your skin. With older children, it’s probably a good idea, to be frank, and talk about the importance of being aware of the present and not distracted or lost in your thoughts.

Mindfulness is something that every parent should teach their children. Each moment is precious in that we will never experience it again. Why miss moments because we are too distracted or caught up in the past are the future. Life is for the living. If parents can’t teach their children how to thoroughly live every moment of their lives, who will?