April 15, 2025

Quote of the Week

"Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it." -- Eckhart Tolle

Can Living In The Moment Make You A Better Parent?

"Mindfulness can be defined as an in-the-moment awareness and acceptance of our thoughts and feelings. When applied to parenting, it includes the ability to ignore critical thoughts about our parenting choices so we can focus on being present with our child. Rather than asking, “Is he going to cry all night?” or thinking, “It’s probably because I didn’t give him enough dinner,” the mindful parent accepts the crying and deals with it moment-to-moment.

Just to clarify, mindfulness doesn’t dictate that you like the crying, just that you shift your awareness to the present situation and show compassion toward yourself and your child....But they can attend to their child’s current emotional state and accept the tantrum, rather than launching automatically into anger or self-doubt. "

Read on here.

Reading Corner

Name: A Pebble for your Pocket
Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
Ages: Children and grown-ups

"...A Pebble for Your Pocket presents the basic teachings of the Buddha in accessible and modern language. The book is written in a highly accessible style that doesn’t rely on lot of jargon or difficult vocabulary requiring breaks for explanation, Thich Nhat Hanh emphasizes the importance of the present moment through vivid metaphors, original allegories, and colorful stories. [...]

They elucidate principles of Buddhism and mindfulness practice, and give the young reader and their parents concrete advise on handling difficult emotions such as anger, from which the title – a pebble for your pocket – is taken. Young readers will learn about handling anger, living in the present moment, and “interbeing” — the interconnectedness of all things. Thich Nhat Hanh offers various practices that children can do on their own or with others that will help them to transform anger and unhappiness and reconnect to the wonders of nature and the joy of living in the present moment.

This revised edition contains teachings and stories for the whole family, as well as practices such as transforming anger within the family...." -- Plumvillage.org

Be the Change

Try some the activities listed here to replenish yourself as a parent or caretaker this week.