The joys of parenting are sometimes dimmed by unpleasant interactions with our kids.  In the heat of the moment, we may find ourselves snapping at them or arguing with them. Upon reflection, we may find that we are actually reacting more to our own stress, frustrations and fears, and less to the needs of the child. Reacting from our own emotions has three negative effects.

1) both parent and child are unhappy.  We are reinforcing an unpleasant way of interacting.

2) we are training ourselves to react from our emotions – if we act from anger this time, it is that much easier to act from anger next time.

3) we are modeling for our child how to handle stress – we are modeling negative behaviors as the appropriate response to stress.

It is possible to cultivate a way to parent mindfully – aware of our own feelings and emotions, aware of how our mental states change when our children behave in particular ways, and aware of how we react to these feelings.  As we become more aware of these stressful mindstates, they lose their ability to control us.  We find that we begin to respond more appropriately to our children and are better able to meet their needs.  We find that our responses are based less on our own emotions and more on what our children really need in the moment. With mindful parenting, communication improves. We feel more connected to our children, provide them with greater space for growth, and are more at peace with ourselves.

This Mindful Parenting Program offers an overview of to a new way to parent.  The program focuses on learning to understand and take care of ourselves and then to parent from that place. The Mindful Parenting Program will consist of 5 sessions, each approximately two and a half hours long.

The 5 sessions are as follows:

1. Judgment and Self-Care (cultivating acceptance and compassion for one’s self) and Developing a Practice
2. Developing Your Support Network
3. Identifying and Dealing with Your Triggers
4. Sharing Mindfulness with Your Kids
5. Open Session and How to Continue From Here

The first half of each session consists of a presentation and a mindfulness experience or exercise.  The second half of each session consists of exploring how mindfulness can be practiced and applied to your parenting.  An open discussion allows for the sharing of parenting situations and how they may be handled mindfully.

This program is facilitated by Dr Maureen Hall.  Dr Maureen has been teaching insight meditation (mindfulness) in institutions such as the Missouri University of Science and Technology and St John’s Integrative Medicine Program as well as teaching individual students in her clinic in Rolla Missouri since 2002. She is the mother of three and grandmother of six. She is currently endeavoring to be a mindful friend to her adult children and a mindful grandparent to her grandchildren.

 She believes that others might benefit as well from learning and applying the timeless principle of mindfulness to their parenting and grand-parenting.

For more information, please contact Dr Hall at [email protected] or 573-368-6858