This marks the first article I write to parents on behalf of children and a bystander who used to be a child, just like you.
My background is in yoga and my “frontground” is in fun and joy. I see the world as one big cartoon so I am able to relate easily with children and understand how they see the world. I consider it a blessing that I see the world this way because it makes things more colorful and animated.
Life exists because energy, also known as prana in yoga, exists. If something doesn’t have prana it doesn’t have life. My cartoon eyes see regular things in a more animated way hence making everything in this universe more vivid and alive. It’s quite exciting and worth trying sometime. In fact, when you see through the eyes of your child it is easy to see the truth more clearly.
Please pay attention to this first suggestion I will be making because it is amongst the most important. It will help you in the future to perceive and apply the future suggestions I make along the way.
My first suggestion to parents is…
Remember what it was like to be a kid.
There’s an important phrase I use to train my yoga teachers-to-be and it is, “put it on.” “Put it on” means that you are literally putting on what it feels like to be your child in that exact moment that he/she is communicating with you. No other moment matters except that one. If you can remember what it was like to be a kid and “put on” what they are feeling then you are coming from a place of understanding. I am certain you will be able to communicate better with yourself and your child – even if your child still isn’t going to get what they want, etc. I guarantee that your child will care less about getting what he/she wants if he/she feels that you are listening to him/her since you are taking the time to explain yourself truthfully. You will take the time to listen in that moment and explain yourself well because you remember how frustrating it was being a child when no adult would listen to you and casually disregarded you, “well, she’s just a kid.” No child feels like they are “just a kid.” They feel larger than life, and they are! They have more energy (prana) than any adult because they are more connected to it. Children are just pure emotion and expression. Children have no filters and this is something to be praised as long as it isn’t hurtful to themselves or others, but we will get to that topic another day.
Take a few moments to finish these sentences…
1. When I was a kid, I wish my parents had taken the time to:
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2. When I was a kid, I wish I would have been allowed to:
3. When I was a kid, I really wanted my parents to listen to me when I said or told them:
4. When I was a kid, did I feel understood by adults? If so, then please share why you did. If not, then please share what you would have liked to have had adults understand.
5. What is one thing my child is trying to communicate with me that I have been resistant to hearing?
