9 Ways to Become a Conscious Parent

It’s not difficult to become a better human being; it simply takes a willingness to move beyond our baggage, and a desire to cultivate the discipline needed to live a higher state of consciousness.

As conscious parents, we have an opportunity to help our kids successfully navigate and thrive in a world that is growing increasingly negative and complicated. But in order to successfully do this, we must first become conscious people ourselves. Here are some of the ways that we can achieve that goal:

Be Present

When we are either regretting the past or fearful of the future, we are not living in the present where everything is possible. Learning to live in the moment can be one of the most challenging things that we can do as human beings, because we are all conditioned to look ahead or reminisce about the past. There is a reason that it’s called the present – as corny as it sounds, it is a gift. Every time you’re with your child and you catch your thoughts shifting out of the present, consciously pull them back and remind yourself of the power of now.

Be Involved

Before we know it, our children will grow up. All those little things we wish we could do – we will have missed that chance to do them. Right here and now is the time to be involved in our children’s lives. We have to encourage them to live in the moment, to dream, and imagine the possibilities. Then we have to be there to support, encourage, and cheer them on in those dreams and aspirations.

Be Responsible

As conscious parents, we need to teach our children how to take responsibility for their actions – and it starts with us. When we are wrong, we need to admit it. When others wrong us, we must try our best to forgive them. If we show up every day with a willingness to grow and evolve in our lives, we’ll pass that mindfulness on to our offspring.

Be Compassionate

Even animals have been known to show compassion to one another, so as human beings, there’s no excuse to do otherwise. We can talk about the value of compassion to our children, but it really is one of those abstract concepts that must be taught through example. If we want our children to live compassion-driven lives, then we have to let them witness us living a life of compassion. That means helping others, showing kindness, being tolerant, having mercy, and looking for the good in all.

Be Fair

Our children will make mistakes – that’s just a fact of life. While punishment is a necessary component in order for us to teach our little ones the concept of right and wrong, remember to always be fair and give them an opportunity to see their mistakes and take responsibility. Fairness and punishment can go hand in hand. When we are willing to discuss and explain the negative impact of our children’s actions with them, it gives them an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

Be Human

Children idolize their parents who appear larger than life to them. Naturally, we love the sense of being worshipped, but it’s important that our children realize that, like them, we are only human and make mistakes. When our little ones watch us grow, learn, and evolve, taking responsibility for our little imperfections and shortcomings, so will they.

Be Authentic

The most important person that we can be with our children is ourselves. Living a conscious life means living as authentically as we possibly can. We should be clear about who we are and embrace the parts of ourselves that we are happy with, as well as those parts that we are trying to improve. There is power in being ourselves, even around others; we can teach our children that lesson only if we have the courage to try.

Be Supportive

As parents, we have the power to build our children’s self-worth simply by our words of support and encouragement. That is such a powerful responsibility, and one that we need to take very seriously. Even when our child completes the simplest of tasks, applaud them with words of support and encouragement.

Be Grateful

When we wake up everyday with an attitude of gratitude, we teach our little ones how to live a grateful life. Because of the way nature wired our brains, it’s much easier for us humans to be negative and complain than it is to be happy and grateful. We have to work at counting our blessings, not our complaints. As conscious parents, we need to wake up each and every day focused on the good, and teach that gift to our children.

Do you consider yourself a conscious parent? How do you encourage your children to live consciously? Share your thoughts with us!