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Updates on The Family Alchemists

Hi Friends, When I created The Family Alchemists in 2018, I had a really big vision and mission of connecting people to the resources they need to grow. I have so many amazing professionals in the Conscious Parenting space as friends and was determined to help them...

How Recovery Principles Pave the Way to Conscious Parenting

Applying the 12 steps to my parenting helped me practice boundaries, communicate with integrity and ultimately BE loving and tolerant.

Conscious Communication Skills

In times of great social change, we look for the things we can control. We may not be able to predict the future for ourselves or our teens, but we can control how we communicate. The way we communicate reveals what we value and how we value it. I longed to connect...

How to Save a Marriage

So, you’re an empath married to a guy that treats you like a queen – most of the time. But those times he’s angry? You question if you’re more like your mother than you thought. You worry that his behavior is going to hurt your kids and that you’re being irresponsible...

WHAT DOES SPIRITUALITY MEAN TO YOU?

When I have a chance to actually discuss the topic with clients, it is very simple to explain my view of spirituality, understand my clients’ perspective, and come to a common ground semantically (and often philosophically). I notice I regularly attract people who...

Helping Your Kids During Coronavirus Social Distancing

Dear Brave Ones: Of course, we’re scared. That means it’s the time to be gentle and compassionate with ourselves and others. Can you imagine how scared our kids are? Their routines have been disrupted and they miss their teachers and friends. They have less control...

Out of the race

From the moment we are born, we are part of a race we never wanted to be in, we are measured by milestones and compared endlessly with any peers we share our life with. We are numbers in charts and checkmarks in lists of accomplishments, in other words, we are what we...

Mindful Parenting Through the Everyday Stresses

In the fast paced world of parenting where decisions are made in between spilled cereal, constant questioning and smartphone apps, it is no wonder the word mindfulness is becoming as necessary in a parent’s vocabulary as the word nap-time. And yet, for many,...

What our children ask of us

Our children ask so little really. Listen to my discoveries and ideas. Look through my eyes to understand my world. Feel my love, joy, frustration, pain. Hold my hand, my heart and me close. Be careful with me and understand me. I may feel off sometimes, when the...

Elf on the shelf, Magic of well-behaved kids?

I was already familiar with conscious parenting when the Elf on the Shelf became popular a few years ago, I found out about it when my kids were toddlers and I heard stories about him moving every night and being a fun addition during Christmas time. I was excited to...
It’s becoming pretty mainstream to practice some form of mindfulness nowadays. Even within our schools, meditation or focus time is replacing the traditional standards of detention or lines in some states and provinces. There is a growing understanding that mindfulness and calm create better mental health and prepares our children to deal with the chaos and turmoil our world can often offer.
But how do we create a solid foundation in mindfulness for our children… not just the action of it?
I mean, it’s a wonderful step in the right direction to get children to sit quietly and listen to a guided meditation, or to focus on their breathing but how do we build the awareness for each child so they can appreciate the actual purpose for doing so?
It’s a bit like teaching a child how to do math, but not actually helping them understand the reason why they need it or when to apply it within life.
It could also be seen as the philosophy of giving a child a fish to feed them for a day… giving them calm for a moment so their day is successful.
When we have the ability to teach them how to fish and feed them for a lifetime. Our children can be the generation to use mindfulness and conscious living as daily and lifetime tools for happiness.
I can feel you call me an idealist, but honestly, I feel there’s one small shift in how we present mindfulness that will make all the difference.
We just need to pass on Self Awareness first.
Self-awareness gives us the navigation skills to sense when we need meditation, when we need positive focus when we could do with quiet or when we would be best to dance out our stresses. Self-awareness works alongside mindfulness to create presence and conscious living, allowing ourselves to sense when we are starting to get stressed or upset by observing rather than reacting.
Imagine when you were a child having the tools to sense when you could do with some quiet time rather than being “told” you need it. Imagine feeling that stress within you to the point of exploding and being able to find your breath and shift to feeling better. How would that have prepared you for the rest of your life?
Sure, maybe I’m an idealist. We all have off days and we can all jump off the awareness train when life gets busy. I called my own business Spiritually Aware Parenting for the reason that even when we’re off, even when we’re stressed, even when we aren’t thriving, we’re aware of the fact that mindfulness can be a tool to help us get back on. We’re aware of our own offness when we practice Self Awareness and self-knowledge for a little while, which makes hoping back On all the easier.
So, what does that mean? How do we pass on Self Awareness to our children as a foundation for mindful living?
  1. Practice it yourself. Example is key within Spiritual/peaceful parenting. Verbally say you are going to get quiet to “feel more like yourself” when you start to get stressed. Journal, create energy focuses with music, find your joy and follow your bliss. Become aware of Who You Are and How to Step into Your Light.
  1. Talk about emotions and preferences. Ask for your child’s opinions and listen to them.
    Opinions and preferences are extensions of perspectives and perspectives are extensions of self-expression, which comes from self-awareness.
  2. Open up to a range of experiences and discuss how they feel. Go on nature walks and simply Be. Watch calming movies/shows after watching something faster or louder. Do something that makes you feel excited or exhilarated and compare it to cuddling together reading a book. Contrast builds awareness to how we feel and what we resonate with.
  3. Create and explore curiosity. It’s easy to brush aside a child’s questions during the day, but breaking rhythms and exploring with them opens life up and allows you both to grow and learn.
  4. Quiet bedtimes. Consider bringing bedtime 30- 45 minutes forward so you can create it as mindfulness time without calling it that. Make it your own time for presence as well as your child’s. Let the energy of the house shift, slowing down and unwinding from the day. Read happy stories and listen to your child’s. Allow the energy and peace flow through your home moment by moment and watch as your child adapts to it, becoming aware of how things change in feeling and how it affects them.
Self/Spiritual awareness is about presenting opportunities to feel, observe ourselves, and experience life.
It’s about Aha moments. 🙂 It’s about thriving rather than surviving.
I’m so passionate about passing on self/spiritual awareness to children (Some people ask why I put self and spirit together… the reason is simply this. We are all Spiritual Beings having a physical experience, not the other way around. Therefore, true self-awareness is spiritual awareness.)
Love and light, Christina

FREE: How To Finally Get Your Child To Listen And Act By Understanding Their Development And Getting The Best Behavior Out Of Them… Even In The Hour Before Bedtime. Yes, Really.

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