Conscious Parenting

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

With the responsibility of having two lovely little ones depending entirely one me I’ve been thinking more and more about the type of parent I want to be…

I figure there are two categories to our responsibilities to our children:

Our physical responsibilities:

1. Don’t let them die.

This is actually a bit harder than you might think, and takes up a huge part of how we treat and think about our kids.  We are so worried about something happening to them that we forget our other responsibilities.

BUT it’s still the most important

2. Don’t give them bad habits.

This is a little bit harder, because we have different ideas of what “bad habits” really are.  But this is things like, don’t teach them to ONLY eat crappy food, or stuff their faces with sweets, or drink coke, etc.

It also extends to what they do with themselves. Have you taught them that going to play outside and explore the world is fun, scary, or an enforced activity???? Just something to think about.

Our Mental/Emotional Responsibilities

1. Raise confident people

This doesn’t mean lying to our children, but teaching them how to trust their instincts.  How to make GOOD decisions for themselves (and you might need to remind yourself that you don’t always know what is best for them…sometimes they know better than you!)

You owe it to your children to teach your children what it is to be confident.  Not just praise them for the sake of it.

One of the difficulties for me in adulthood came from my parents telling me I could do anything in life, and then telling me in the same breath that I needed to go to college to get a career for security.

So anything in life as long as it was on their prescribed path??? hmmmm….

2. Don’t pass on ideas that don’t serve them.

I have spent a really long time trying to overcome worry and fear over lack of money.  I know exactly where it came from, yet it is so deeply ingrained in me that it is hard to fight.

I know that I would be more relaxed with a traditional job where I knew exactly what my monthly income would always be.  But that isn’t being true to myself, so I’ve had to try to overcome conditioning from childhood.

If you have habits and hangups that get in the way of YOUR happiness don’t pass them on to the next generation!!!!

I’m so excited to see the move toward more conscious parenting.

Parents caring more about having children that are imaginative, creative, and confident.  I can’t wait to see what the world looks like when this generation is in charge. 

I imagine it will be an incredible place!