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-reli- ance,” ~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 destruc- tive 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 gate- way 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 mov- ing! 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 chil- dren 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.
Shakaya Leone homeschooled her children until age 7 and created a Dvd Documentary and Guidebook called Raising Children Raises Us where she shares her Soulful Parent- ing ideas. To learn more and see a Trailer click Shakaya’s children are now 13 and 11, vibrantly healthy kids who laugh from morning until night and have won many first place ribbons at Track and Field plus Merit and Outstanding Student of the Year awards at school. Shakaya can be reached at
www.earthempress.com.
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