Parenting with Purpose: The Importance of Consciousness in Raising Children
You have the power to influence your child’s life and set them on the path to success, but it all starts with you. Your decision each day, big or small, impacts your child and shapes their behavior, habits, values, and goals. Teaching them about conscious living and how to be mindful of their thoughts and actions will ultimately determine their level of success in life. Here are five ways you can parent with purpose and conscious living today.
1. Helps Parents Become Responsive Rather Than Reactive
Consciousness helps parents become more responsive to children’s needs. Parents can take the time to identify what the child may need and then intentionally fulfill that need by comforting the child or teaching them a new skill. When parents are not too much into their desires and attachments, they are more likely to be able to tune into their child’s unique needs and develop strategies for meeting those needs.
Conscious parenting is also about finding the root cause of your children’s behavior instead of just reacting because it’s easier. In most cases, understanding what a child is trying to communicate will help guide you towards an appropriate response that helps address the problem rather than worsen it. However, acquiring the capacity to raise your child with consciousness requires guidance from a spiritual teacher like John De Ruiter, who can lead you on this path and provide a support system to assist in raising your children consciously.
2. Helps Both Parent and Child Develop Emotional Maturity
Teaching mindfulness to children from a young age helps them develop an emotionally healthy outlook on life. As a result, they are more likely to consider their behavior’s effect on others. They also learn how to regulate emotions, which can help minimize problematic behaviors like frustration and aggression.
Moreover, mindfulness meditation helps parents as well. It promotes a sense of patience and resilience that can make even the most challenging parenting situation easier. Finally, mindfulness teaches parents to focus on what’s happening now without worrying about the future or past mistakes. It’s hard not to see how this could be helpful during bedtime!
3. It Helps you Notice Your Triggers
Conscious parenting is a term that describes the practice of being aware and tuned in to what children need, what they say, and how they behave. A parent’s consciousness gives them insight into their feelings, thoughts, and behavior–and the impact these have on the child. Being conscious helps a parent better understand themselves and their interactions with children. A professional like John De Ruiter can help parents look deeper at their patterns.
That way, parents can identify their hot buttons or triggers, recognize when they’re slipping into old habits or patterns, and then redirect themselves to more healthy behaviors. When you know your triggers, you can also learn how to respond differently. It also allows parents to make changes within themselves before passing those habits on to their children. In this way, consciousness can be a tool for breaking cycles of dysfunctional behaviors. Finally, it offers an excellent opportunity for reflection to improve oneself as a person and parent continually.
4. Allows Parents to Recognize When Projecting onto their Child
The more consciously aware a parent is, the more they can identify when projecting onto their child. The projection may be when a parent sees their own beliefs and preferences in their child. However, it’s not just about seeing your own beliefs on the child. It can also be when the child precisely does what you want them to do or has the traits you value. Projecting onto your child can be detrimental because it limits the growth potential.
A conscious parent knows this and realizes that this type of parenting creates an environment where a child never gets to explore who they are without fear of judgment from others. Mindful parenting grants your children space to grow as individuals while guiding them along their way, so they don’t get lost in life’s forest. Consulting with a good trainer will help a parent learn how to control their emotions around children and become more aware of themselves and their role in shaping their child’s future.
5. Consciousness Enables Parents to Listen Deeply
Conscious parenting is about taking the time to listen to your child deeply. It means you not only hear the words but also what they are about, who your child is, and where they are coming from without judgment. That level of understanding enables you to respond appropriately, either through empathy or teaching, as necessary.
When a child talks to their parent, that parent must be fully present for the conversation. You can’t do it on autopilot. You have to be there for your kids so that you can consistently have a deep connection with them and know what it is they’re feeling.
Conclusion
Many adults unknowingly forget that parenting a child has much more to do with life coaching than anything else. If you want your children to understand who they are as individuals and how best to navigate life, you must empower them and yourself by being true to yourself through consciousness. However, consulting with an experienced spiritual teacher on matters of life and consciousness is crucial to help you and your children develop a good relationship while achieving other goals in life more consciously.
