big kids
A
BY CATHY SOUSA
Mindful Parenting and Teaching:
ccording to Professor Mark
Williams (2011), of Oxford
University, “Mindfulness is a
translation of a word that simply means
awareness; it’s a direct, intuitive know-
ing of what you are doing while you are
doing it; it’s knowing what’s going on
inside your mind and body, and what’s
going on in the outside world as well.”
So what does this mean for parenting
or teaching? Well, when we’re dealing
with children we are often just react-
ing to them, rather than consciously
responding. For example, how often do
you ask yourself: What am I feeling in
this moment? What is this child expe-
riencing right now? Those questions
are the key to mindful parenting and
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Responding vs.
Reacting
teaching. Answering these questions, al-
lows us to choose the response that fits
the situation. When we approach our
interactions with children in this way,
we are able to see children in a more
holistic way, viewing the child as their
own person, with their own thoughts
and feelings, and separate from what-
ever is going on with us. That requires a
level of awareness of ourselves first and
foremost.
As adults, we generally treat chil-
dren according to one of two patterns
– we most often repeat the experience
of how we were treated as children, and
sometimes, we go very much in the op-