I know how much you love your kids…they are the apple in your eye, the stars in your sky!
And I know we all say we would do anything for our kids…but we all have such busy lives these days and our priorities can get overwhelmed. It is important to think about what kind of ATMOSPHERE you wish to have and therefore can consciously create, inspire and protect in your home. Remember, women set the tone in the home. We have so much power in the lives of our children and loved ones.
Here are 3 simple things you can start implementing TODAY to inspire your family life:
1. CREATE SANCTUARY IN THE HOME
“When our home is built and kept with care and attention, the Angels cannot stay away- For food is to us what love is to angels” ~Author Shea Darian
Set up certain routines or rituals around main DAILY happenings such as:
Mealtimes-
Do you all say grace? Who lights the dinner candle? Does everyone help prepare or set up/ clean up the meal? Mealtimes are a time of joy and nourishment.
More Quality Family Time-
Invite everyone to enjoy an after-dinner walk around the neighbourhood together, hike on weekends and for weekly game or movie night.
Welcomings and Departures-
There is always time for kisses and hugs at daily departures and greetings.
Bedtime-
Do you all enjoy 15 minutes of cuddletime, story, songs, prayers at their bedtime? Use candlelight to set a warm and calming mood.
Circle time-
Well run organizations have regularly scheduled meetings. Have family meetings regularly to enjoy a time of sharing talents, concerns, make plans etc.
Atmosphere-
Is your environment nourishing and purposeful, or cluttered and draining? Your dwelling place is a sacred place and how you care for it will be reflected back in the thoughts and actions of your children.
2. SOWING THE SEEDS OF DISCIPLINE- FREEDOM IS THE FRUIT
“Structure makes a child feel safe and secure and teaches self-reliance,” ~Dr. Laurence Steinberg
Rudolph Steiner said the whole point of education and parenting is to raise ‘free individuals’; people who are conscious, and therefore able to make choices dictated by their own hearts and souls, infused with purpose.
One of the easiest ways we can instil in our children the freedom to be themselves with all their potential intact, is model for them a life unencumbered by destructive habits. A parent handicaps a child’s freedom if we fail to provide certain disciplines and structures into daily life.
Here are some vital seeds of true freedom to cultivate in your family:
FOOD- Food is a sacred gateway to emotional and physical freedom through vibrant health. If we are haphazard with diet, we handicap our children’s abilities.
RECREATION- Plan and enjoy lots of family fun and recreation together- exercise, explore, laugh and just get outside and get moving! TV and computer time are not included here.
SLEEP- How a child is ushered into the land of dreams is vital to how they experience their sleep- which of course affects their waking life.
3. ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FEELINGS.
“Whatever you repress, your children will express.” Shakaya Leone
If we don’t do this for ourselves, it is nearly impossible know how to do this for our children. And it is absolutely vital because as moms we are the most important person in their whole world and they naturally want and need to share their thoughts and feelings with us.
THREE HEALING WORDS: LET IT OUT
We need to ‘feel it to heal it’ and the only way to ‘get passed it is to go through it’. Just listening actively, without any judgement alleviates pain. Read or re-read How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish and Non-Violent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg and learn the language of compassion that you probably were never taught. Children need to feel safe enough to express how they are ‘experiencing their experiences.
You can actually use any moments of stress and dis-harmony with yourself and your children as practice sessions of growing your poise and compassion. Children absorb our moods and beliefs, so it is a gift to them when we take care of ourselves and live a life that nourishes our body, mind and dreams.
About Shakaya Leone
