CONSCIOUS PARENTING
“See with their eyes, hear with their ears, feel with their hearts…”
adapted from Alfred Adler
Children are developmentally immature to think critically about their experiences and from very early on beliefs about themselves and the world are formed unconsciously, creating behaviour patterns that will influence every aspect of their lives for the long term.
As parents, we exercise the greatest influence in the formation of such early beliefs and behaviour patterns through our thoughts, emotions and behaviors as well as through our family dynamics, culture and environment.
A conscious parenting approach involves basic understanding of child development and the ability to deeply connect with our children and appropriately respond to their emotions and behaviors in ways that will make them feel seen, safe and unconditionally loved.
A conscious parenting approach further implies that we take full responsibility for seeking to heal our own wounds and correct our own limiting beliefs, so we can show up as whole human beings in our parenting and in our relationship with our children.
Through conscious parenting and healthy family relationships, we maximize our positive influence over our children’s perception and understanding of themselves, others and life in general, thus over their potential to live a happy and fulfilling existence.
“Love your children while they are small.
Spend time with them now.
Don’t put it off for a single moment.
A huge building begins with a handful of dirt.
A Thousand-mile journey begins under your feet.
Everything depends on early influences.
You can’t go back later and bond with your children in the same way.
It is not uncommon that many parents get anxious with their teenagers and try to make up for lost time.
Conscious parenting requires careful choices, from beginning to end.”
Vimala McClure