“Life is available only in the present moment.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh
― Thich Nhat Hanh
This week I had some interesting discussions with parents about the power of presence.
The only time you will fully be able to experience life is in the present moment. You are not engaged in time travel to the past, or to the future, you are in the present moment, it’s the only opportunity to fully live. The quality of true presence is an undervalued gift, it offers you the opportunity to learn, to be curious, to let your body lead rather than your mind.
Often when parents contact me it’s to talk about problems their child is having, I always like to take a step back and have a conversation with the parent to see where they are at and how they are showing up in their relationship with their child.
There is a vast difference between physical presence and the quality of your presence. Both are important, however, the latter is where the gold is.
As you go into the weekend notice the quality of your presence with your kids, with your partner, etc. How are YOU showing up?
Have you decided how a conversation will go before you have it? Have you decided what your child’s behaviour will be before it happens? Are you on devices while talking to your kids?
If you answered yes to any of these I encourage you to try something different. When you talk to your kids instead of responding be curious, be a detective, ask what else, tell me more or just listen without responding
We all want to feel like we are being heard, that we matter. The quality of our presence is a great way to show our kids that they are a priority – that they matter. Being in the moment is being fully alive, experiencing life in real-time. What a wonderful gift, reminder, lesson to show and share with your kids.
Much love,
Jessie-Lynn