How to enjoy a stronger connection with your children

16 June 2020

With all the parenting advice that you’re probably bombarded with, it’s easy to overlook the single most important factor in raising happy, healthy children – YOU – and your well-being.

It’s easy to forget that the most valuable thing you can give your child is yourself and your love. Children, even babies, are able to feel their parents’ moods and respond to them. Have you wondered why children are most restless and annoying when you’re upset?

The secret to good parenting is being in a good mood. Responding consistently and lovingly to a child’s needs is the most constructive thing a parent can do (even refusal or criticism can be given with love) – this teaches a child “connection”- the sense of being wanted and cared for unconditionally.

But this is not easy in today’s busy world. Most parents feel pressured and stressed, trying to do the best they can for their children – juggling multiple roles. But, more than organic food, the latest educational toys, and a Super-Mum (or Dad) who completes every task perfectly, what children need most of all is an emotionally well Mum/Dad, who makes the time to be physically and mentally present with them whenever there is an opportunity.

A core aim of Meet Yourself Meditation (MYM) for parents is to develop emotional resilience and wellbeing. MYM for parents is approved worldwide by the International Institute of Complementary Therapists (IICT).

As adults, we often project our own needs and aspirations onto our children, seeing them as an extension of ourselves. When children feel misunderstood, or that they cannot match up to what is expected of them, it can lead to them feeling vulnerable, inadequate and rejected. When you, as a Mum or Dad, are stressed or unhappy, your child feels your vibes and, on a deeper subconscious level, it creates stress and uneasiness within her/him.

When a child “plays up,” it’s usually because he/she is experiencing some form of disturbance or conflict inside. Being told off, punished or given logical arguments for behaving properly may temporarily elicit better behaviour, but are unlikely to resolve the child’s inner distress.

Every child is a unique individual with unique talents, character, likes and dislikes. Parents who are able to understand the needs of their children, and make them feel understood, valued and respected will have laid the seeds of self-esteem, and emotional stability in them.

How Meet Yourself Meditation (for parents) can help

Most meditation programmes focus on simple breathing techniques, and some focus on managing stress, and raising present moment awareness.

MYM (for parents) is a Healing Meditation, which goes deeper than most meditation methods. It reaches beneath the layers of accumulated fears and conditionings, to release any suppressed emotions, fear, anxiety that you may be holding on to.

MYM is a powerful tool for training the mind – to listen more deeply to yourself, to heal and balance your emotions, and to accept yourself (and others) as they are. The energy attunement you receive, as part of MYM (for parents), will develop your awareness and intuitive parenting skills, enabling you to understand yourself and your children better, and respond intuitively to their needs. When you practise MYM as an integral part of your responsibility as a parent, your own increased positive energy will soothe and calm your children – enabling you to have a calmer, more connected and satisfying relationship with them.

In addition to improving physical and mental health, and general wellbeing, practising MYM will enable you to:

1. Develop self-awareness and emotional stability – deliberately paying attention to what happens in their mind and body enables you to become more familiar with the workings of your own mind and its patterns and habits, including those which may no longer be helpful. Thus, you can learn to spot ‘warning signs’ before stress becomes overwhelming; and choose how best to respond, rather than reacting in old, familiar but unhelpful, ways. Hence, increase your ability to manage difficult situations responsibly, and to make wise choices.
2. Develop a strong sense of ‘self’ and purpose – understand and honour your genuine feelings and aspirations, so you can live authentically from the heart, feeling good about yourself, without fear or guilt.
3. Cultivate empathy, and compassion for yourself and others – be emotionally aware, and learn to accept yourself and your children with love, respect and understanding, thus forming stronger relationships based on mutual trust.
4. Improve your intuitive understanding & parenting skills – develop an intuitive understanding of your children and their needs – thus, become a powerful role model for them – helping them to develop their innate talents and aspirations.
5. Strengthen your sense of moral integrity – recognise and accept your own weaknesses, and those of your children, with humility and courage; and work honestly towards eliminating them.
6. Gain the confidence to believe “I can” – use your inner resources to overcome fears and to find solutions to challenges. Thus, develop your creativity, resilience and fortitude, and regain control of your life.
7. Live every moment with greater awareness and appreciation – let yourself relax and have fun with the kids!!