The Conscious Parent

should be with their children almost all the time. On the contrary, a
conscious parent may be extremely busy, and our children need to
respect this. However, during those times when we aren’t busy, can we
allow ourselves to engage our children attentively? When we do so, they
come to the realization, “I must be a worthy person because my mother
and father have turned off their phones, stopped their work, and are now
spending this undivided time with me.”
In my own life, in order to enter a state of engaged presence with my
daughter, I determine not to try to change her state of being, but instead
join it. I attempt to find a way to align my emotional energy with her
energy, instead of asking her to match her energy to mine. When my
daughter speaks to me, I try hard to bring all my attention to her,
listening with my heart as much as with my mind. I express respect for
her voice and spirit, demonstrate reverence for her opinions even if I
don’t agree with them, and remain in a state of receptive openness.
I’m careful not to forget that my goal in being present with my
daughter isn’t to demonstrate my wisdom and superiority, but simply to
connect with her. I have come to greatly value this daily time of
engaging in a being-to-being dialogue with her, carving out at least an
hour for this each day. Relating from an authentic state of love and
admiration for who she is, I express how much I learn from her. During
this time, we don’t do homework or chores, but simply relate, either
eating together, playing, reading, or talking to each other. This one
simple hour has the power to fill my child’s cup with her own inner
presence.