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The power of now with babies and kids
Submitted by stefan on Tue, 13/10/2009 - 6:12am
It seems unlikely that, as parents we can stay fully in the moment all the time (or perhaps we just need a guru with a family to tell us how). But I think what we can do is worry when it's time to worry, and stay in the moment when we play with our children. I find immersing myself in the moment works particularly well when I'm with young children as they seem to be living "in the moment" constantly anyway. Everything only exists while their attention is on it - major dramas are forgotten within minutes. Children can easily go from being totally and utterly upset to feeling on top of the world (and vice versa) in about 30 seconds flat. So I reckon it's actually a good exercise and opportunity for parents to be fully present when playing with children. Even if it's only for a short period each day I find it's quite therapeutic to not have to think about anything else. It's also easy to do because children want your full attention when playing with them anyway (and they frequently remind you to stay focused). Anyway that's where I got to with trying to apply some of the key messages from Tolle (and others) to my daily parenting experience. If you have other suggestions I'd love to hear them ... or if someone has written "the here and now for parents" - let me know! :-) -Stef |
If you've come across any of Eckhart Tolle's books you will know what I mean by the power of now. His key message is that the past and future don't really exist (other than in our head). There's only the "here and now" and by being fully "present" and being "in the moment" you will end up living a much happier life. Easy - right? Well as it turns out many of the modern day gurus like Tolle (or actually gurus and spiritual leaders in general) don't have kids. Once you've got kids and a family it's kind of hard to stay in the moment and not worry about the future (or the past). There are always a million things to take care of and being a parent often requires a lot of planning. How can you be a responsible dad without constantly thinking (worrying) about the future of your child?
Hi Cecile - thanks for your
Hi Cecile - thanks for your comment ... I've wondered about the same thing. We need "Enlightenment for kids" - now there's a book :-)
-Stef
Funny that i would search on
Funny that i would search on this particular issue as I finish up the power of now. I was actually hoping to find a book I could purchase to coach on how to bring up children that could come to an early bit of enlightenment so that they would not have to wait as long as I did before realising the truth of the now and spirit.
Indeed I often came across the thought that Eckhart would have written about it if he too had children to coach through life. So instead I often connect sending a stream of light and "essence" to my children in hope that it lead them to enlightenment by means of "osmosis"...resonating the same frequency so long as i can maintain my own presence whilst with them.
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