The art of mindful parenting is done with the best of intentions
Rudi Viljoen, self-mastery coach and founder of the accredited Warriors Gap year program has created a one-day Parenting workshop.
Even really committed and great parents, often without realising it, during their interaction with their children will focus on the external such as “Its the child’s fault, the child’s behaviour is unacceptable, my job as a parent is to fix the child, I get to raise my child”
All of this is external or child-centric, which for most part sounds and appears to be very loving and caring and done with the best of intention.
Most parents believe that their job as parent is to produce, fix and bring up a good and successful child. The challenge with this paradigm as the only reference is that it can lead into a disillusioned family, especially when children mis-behave or do not fit their parents expectations. Traditional thinking is to move into a discipline and punishment process.
This might seems pretty fair and for most parents this is how they have been brought up and their opinions are more than often: “It worked for me and it will work for my children as-well.” True mindfulness as part of being a parent needs to focus on the internal dialogue and pre-programming that plays off, rather than be externally focussed on the the child alone. It’s really about understanding ourselves and being a competent observer of our own attitudes, beliefs, moods, and language.
It takes self-awareness and courage to even challenge ourselves as parents. Asking provocative questions such as “Who am I as a parent?” “What example am I to my children?” “Are we simply transferring our own limiting beliefs, values, stories, attitudes and way-of-being to our children?” Children do not do what we tell them, they do what we do.
Mindful parenting is about the child’s well-being and it places a responsibility on the parent to strive for a higher state of consciousness when dealing with their children. Dr Shefali, a world renowned parenting coach put it neatly as follows: Being a conscious parent is not about raising the child, it’s about raising the parent.
Rudi Viljoen, self-mastery coach and founder of the accredited Warriors Gap year program has created a one-day Parenting workshop.
Parents, teachers, and anyone dealing with children will have the opportunity to explore their own way of being-a-parent.
The workshop is fast paced and interactive. It is about seeing your child as much as a teacher to you, as you are a teacher to them. It’s about connecting and co-creating with your child on a deep level as a co-traveler on this incredible adventure called life.
The 6-hour fast paced Mindful-parenting workshop is specifically designed to challenge traditional ways of thinking, behaviour and reactions, that don’t fully serve us.
Our coaching of human potential processes, facilitates fundamental shifts of attitudes and perceptions, leaving participants, more creative, fully satisfied and inspired to embrace a bigger picture of themselves as parents.
This results in profound personal transformations.
These transformations result in committed parents, who are solution oriented, not problem fixated. Responsibility and accountability become personal priorities. Effective communication transforms the art of listening. Listening for the value in what their children say. Understanding the impact of your words on yourself as well as on your children. Selfevaluation and understanding makes the profound difference. Experience-appreciation for their children. To powerfully and courageously face the risks and challenges of parenthood. Building of self-esteem and selfworth. Learning a new“language” for communication-skills.
Developing new life-tools, to integrate on a personal level. The workshop will be held on 27 July at the Warriors Academy: Warriors barn. Time: 09:00 to 16:00. Cost: R800 (father and mother: R1 200) RSVP: rudi@warriors.co.za or 082-802- 0880. Website: www.rudiviljoen.com
