The Whole-Brain Child

What’s  my  child’s favorite    T-shirt right   now?    Can I

remember    her first   pair    of  shoes?

Can I   picture how my  child   might   look    at  eighteen,   bags

packed  and leaving for college?

Feeling different?  Has your    state   of  mind    changed?

Mindsight   did that.   From    your    hub you noticed the rim

points on your own wheel of awareness, and you became

aware of what you were experiencing. Then you shifted your

focus, directing your attention to other rim points, and as a

result, your entire state of mind changed. This is the power of

your mind, and this is how it can literally and fundamentally

transform the way you feel about and interact with your kids.

Without mindsight, you can get stuck on your rim, feeling

primarily frustrated or angry or resentful. The joy of parenting

is gone in that moment. But by returning to your hub and

shifting your focus, you can begin to experience joy and

gratitude about getting to parent your children—just by paying

attention and deciding to direct your attention to new rim

points.

Mindsight   can also    be  immensely   practical.  For example,

think for a moment right now about the last time you got

angry with one of your children. Really angry, where you

could’ve lost control. Remember what he did, and how furious

you felt. At times like these, the anger you feel burns bright

and ɹery on the rim of your wheel. In fact, it burns so

intensely that it far outshines other rim points that represent

the feelings and knowledge you have about your kids: your

understanding that your four-year-old is acting like a normal