Introduction

Parenting today may be likened to a blurry of errands, activities, school drops, pickups and a myriad of other tasks. Parenting can become routine and we find ourselves responding to our children’s behaviour without thinking, thereby reaching to a state of stress, frustration and loss of good relationship. And what if there was a strategy to get into the discipline with more peace, attention, and affection? Well that is here where mindful parenting steps in.

Awareness is the watchword of mindful parenting: being conscious of yourself and your child in the present and deliberately choosing what you say and do. This would go a long way in changing your parenting process, and eventually lessen stress, enhance communication, and produce a better associated with parent and child.

As the concept of mindful parenting gains more traction, there are a wide variety of sources of information… However, with so many talking heads out there giving tips and suggestion, it is easy to feel lost as to what you should do. Here, you will find tips on finding and following mindful parenting gurus, with some of the top experts outlined in this article.

What is Mindful Parenting?

Mindful parenting does not mean that one has to be the perfect parent. It is about bringing an appreciation of quality of presence and focus into the parenting interactions with a child. A mindfulness specifically concerns itself with paying attention to one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, and those of the child without the necessity of having a negative attitude towards either. This lets you counter to your child with improved sensitivity, empathy and efficiency.

At its core, mindful parenting involves:

• Present moment awareness: Being in the moment without consideration as to what has happened beforehand, or concern with what is going to happen later.
• Non-judgmental observation: Labeling instead of disciplining – It involves watching your child’s actions and your attitude towards them without making any negative comment.
• Emotional regulation: Facing your own emotions and being sensitive to your child’s feelings.
• Compassionate connection: This is building a friendly environment in which your child can open up, and you listen to them gladly.

Thus, increasing such qualities you will be able to enhance the relations between the parents and the child and make them much more joyful.

Why Follow Mindful Parenting Experts?

The actual implementation of core mindful parenting strategies in the heat of typical parenting scenarios is far from simple. That’s where mindful parenting experts come in and help you get through the toughest moments and improve your relationship with your child. They have all chosen to make a profession out of studying the psychology of children, feelings and the use of the mind. The following can provide you with advice and free resources on raising your child and helping you better understand the lows and highs of parenting.

Here’s why learning from mindful parenting experts can be beneficial:

• Gain deeper insights: Professionals offer information of behavior and development that has been proven to be factual and research based to assist you.
• Learn practical techniques: So, readers can also find very practical tips and precise tasks for the development of mindfulness as parents.
• Find support and community: Of course, most professionals provide online classes or webinars for parents or communities where members can discuss and give tips.
• Expand your perspective: Specialized knowledge may bring fresh perspectives and force you to reconsider some of the views regarding child-rearing activities.
• Navigate challenging situations: Some of the topic areas professionals can offer advice about include how to handle temper tantrums, sibling rivalry and discipline.

You can receive all the necessary information and tips for your further parenting path just following mindful parenting experts.

Important Note: One should also have it in his mind that not all those that are referred to as experts are so in all their actions. When hiring, such a person should possess adequate academic qualifications, professional experience, and adopt research methodologies. Select professionals that are in line philosophically and regarding your values as a parent to your children.

Top Mindful Parenting Experts to Follow

As you have seen the importance of getting information from experts, is now right to showcase some of the leading authorities in the area of mindful parenting. These people provide valuable information, working advice which will help you in parenting throughout your days.

Dr. Dan Siegel

Dr. Dan Siegel is a clinician educator with the UCLA School of Medicine and co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. He has also written other parenting books such as Parenting from the Inside out and The Whole-Brain Child which have been top best-seller.

But let’s start with Dr. Siegel and his research interests: Siegel was investigating interpersonal neurobiology – that means the interactions of people’s mind and brain on one hand and their relation on the other hand. To him, therefore, healthy children require constant affection and appropriate engagement in talking to them.

The mindful parenting program devised by Dr. Siegel himself has the practice called the ‘Wheel of Awareness’ among the core. This basic technique proves useful for those who strive to build efficient concentration on a particular subject, as well as for those who wish to practice the sense of Being.

Key takeaways from Dr. Siegel:

• Connect and redirect: Do not irritate your child by pointing at their focus and telling them to do something else, first engage with emotions.
• Name it to tame it: Calm your child down with prompts and then, explain to in simple terms the exact emotion that they are going through.
• Engage the upstairs brain: Just as important it is to refrain from negative reinforcement, it is equally important to ensure your child understands how to self-regulate besides knowing right from wrong.

Resources:

• Website: drdansiegel.com
• Books: Parenting from the Outside In, The Whole-Brain Child, No-Drama Discipline

Dr. Laura Markham

Dr. Laura Markham is a Clinical Psychologist and also the founder of www.ahaparenting.com. She is the writer of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids and Peaceful Parent, Happy Sibling.

Dr. Markham speaks of positive parenting, which means helping your child peacefully through understanding and cooperation. For her, the primary causes of conflicts are the lack of self-control, together with low emotional intelligence in both children and parents.

Key takeaways from Dr. Markham:

• Connect before you correct: As much as you want, it is of paramount importance that you work on connecting with your child emotionally.
• Empathize with your child’s emotions: Try to comprehend who and what your child is from his/her actions even if they are wrong.
• Set limits with empathy: Modify your behavior in such a way adjusting to your child’s temper tantrums and introduce him to important principles of lifetime orientation.

Resources:

Website: AhaParenting.com

Books: This work is written and illustrated by D Gris.com Peaceful Parent Happy Kids, Peaceful Parent Happy Siblings.

Online Courses: Dr. Markham also has numerous online classes on mindful parenting as well as some concepts on non- aggression training.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Heralded by many but not an expert in child rearing as such, Jon Kabat-Zinn has indeed revolutionized the field of mindful parenting. He is the developer of MBSR which is an eight week programmed of mindfulness meditation and practices for the management of stress, pain and illness .

Due to the efforts of Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness is not very unknown; instead, it is readily being practiced by many people. Mindfulness of the present moment, acceptance, and non-attachment are valuable concepts which he delivers for parenting.

Key takeaways from Jon Kabat-Zinn:

• Cultivate present moment awareness: It’s okay to try and observe your breath, your body sensations or even your thoughts during the day without engaging in any criticisms.
• Embrace acceptance: Embrace your child (and yourself) for who you are no matter the disability, emotional issue, and even your flaws.
• Practice non-judgment: Just listen to the thoughts and feelings without pass judgments on them.

Resources:

• Books: These are the Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go, There You Are.
• Guided Meditations: There is a wide variety of guided meditations by Jon Kabat-Zinn on the Internet and in the applications for mobile devices.

Other Notable Experts

• Susan Stiffelman: Author of Parenting Without Power Struggles and a licensed marriage and family therapist. She specializes in assisting parents become in touch with their children’s emotional state.
• Shauna Shapiro: The author of the book Good Morning, I Love You: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire Your Brain for Calm, Clarity, and Joy, and a professor of counseling psychology. She is very specific about the manner in which she explains self-compassion in relation to parenting.
• Carla Naumburg: She presents tips on how to reduce parental stress and setting coping strategies whenever parents are faced with difficult behavior.

With the help of the ideas provided by these and other mindful parenting practitioners, you can get a lot of help and support in developing a happier parenting experience.

How to Choose the Right Expert for You

This just shows how many mindful parenting experts are available which when advising means one has to select those whom they feel are in harmony with their style of parenting. Here are some factors to consider when choosing which experts to follow:

• Their Approach: Do they have similar philosophies with you? Will they promote a parenting style that will be comfortable for a parent as much as it is for the child?
• Qualifications and Experience: What are their credentials? Have they work experience in engaging with the children and their families? Have they done a study or written book regarding mindful parenting?
• Areas of Expertise: Is this area of specialization closely related to one of your needs? For example, some of the professionals deal with certain age groups, while others concentrate on particular difficulty, such as ADHD or anxiety.
• Communication Style: Can you follow their style of writing or listening to them speaking fluently or do they confuse you in some ways? In other words, are they affectionate in their communication and do they avoid making the audience feel stupid or dumbed down?
• Accessibility: How easy is it to get hold of their resources? Are they providing classes, seminars or groups that are Online if you could join them?

Bombard said that there is nothing wrong with following multiple experts and take ideas from different strategies. The thing is to be critical when consuming the information and assess the suggestions given to you. Always go with your gut and likeminded professionals that is both safe and efficient.

Tip: First, look up a few specialists where they came from and what they do. Check them out on their website, listen to their podcasts, or watch their videos. Who has more appealing message to you.

Remember: Mindful parenting is a concept of the process and not an endpoint. It could never be stated that there is only one correct approach to doing it. However, the primary message is that it is crucial to determine the method that helps and does not cause stress for both you and your family.

Conclusion

Being mindful is a very strong method that help to replace the fighting and negativity with the understanding and love between your child and you as a parents. through cultivating present moment awareness, non-judgmental observation and, emotional regulation, you can be better posed to respond to your child more effectively.

As with any other aspect of life, having the support of mindful parenting gurus will help you guide alongside you, along with pointers to steer you through the speck, as well as the joys of parenthood. Try to understand the activities of various practitioners, search for those authors whose information is inspiring to you, and accept the path of conscious upbringing.

Remember, mindful parenting is not about perfection, and it’s perfectly okay to spend a weekend in bed with your child. It’s simply the concept of being fully present for your child and present with clear intentions and an open heart. It is about creating more than just client and customer relationship with your child, more of an emotional bond between parent and child.

If you are starting the process of therapy, then be patient with yourself and your child, too. That’s why the ability to be mindful is constructed as a skill; it is not always easy to cultivate, yet the benefits are enormous. On this page, you will discover how by adopting the techniques of mindful parenting, you can help build a better family life and improve on your child’s upbringing.