Q. Dear Mimi, How is spiritual parenting different from other parenting philosophies, and how will my kids benefit from being parented in this way? Is it complicated? I just don't seem to have time to learn anything new.
A. Spiritual parenting isn't a scientific approach to parenting or a formula to follow but rather an attitude that acknowledges your child's very being. Parenting in this way will truly give you more energy, because you don't have to calculate and adhere to some complicated system.
Have a Spiritual Parenting question? Ask Mimi Doe.
Spiritual parenting occurs when we expand our awareness to include our children's vivid inner lives. When we approach our kids as big spiritual beings housed in little bodies, we are parenting spiritually. Spiritual parenting is not limited to any one religious teaching, but rather is an authentic, honest way of interacting with our children day to day.
Kids naturally have what many of us spend years trying to reclaim. I believe that when we recognize and honor our children's innate spiritual connection, they may never have to lose it. How do we do that? By listening to them, encouraging their dreams, adding magic to the ordinary routines of life, creating a flexible structure, releasing the struggle, teaching that we are all connected, and making each day a new beginning.
When we parent with an awareness of our child's natural spirituality and follow our own intuition, our center is secure no matter how rocky the journey. Parenting becomes a soul-satisfying process for us and for our kids.
Have a Spiritual Parenting question? Ask Mimi Doe.
Yes, your children will benefit from being parented in this way. Their self-esteem increases, they feel empowered, they have a belief system to count on, they feel connected to something greater then themselves, they have hope, they articulate their dreams and follow them, and they begin to ask "What can I give?" rather than "What can I get?"
