Seven Intentions for Mindful Parenting

INTENTION: An aim that guides action.

The intentions we set for ourselves remind us of what is important. It is like having an internal compass. When we form the intention to be more mindful, that intention focuses and shapes our choices and our actions, including in those moments when we might easily be carried away and fall into unawareness. It increases the likelihood that we will be more present and able to stay in touch with what we most care about. It is never too late to introduce mindfulness into our lives. The very moment that we make the conscious commitment to do so becomes the perfect moment to begin.

Here are some intentions that you may find helpful. Of course, what’s most important is to create your own.

 To see parenting as an intentional practice, a way of being in relationship to experience that provides me with countless opportunities to cultivate self-awareness, wisdom, and openheartedness.

 To see parenting as an opportunity to embody what is deepest and best in myself and express it with my children and in the world.

 To bring greater mindfulness and discernment into my daily life, especially with my children, using awareness of my body and my breathing to ground me in the present moment.

 To remember to see and accept my children as they are, and not simply through the lens of my expectations and fears.

 To try to see things from each child’s point of view and understand what my children’s needs are, meeting them as best I can. This includes keeping in mind their need to learn by doing things on their own, and their need to come up against immovable limits at times.

 To see whatever arises in my own life and in the lives of my children, including the dark, difficult, and stressful times, as “grist for the mill,” allowing it to deepen my capacity for empathy and compassion, including for myself.

 To bring these intentions into my heart and commit myself to putting them into practice as best I can, in ways that honor my children’s sovereignty and my own.