The Conscious Parent

I was watching a clip from Super Soul Sunday on the Oprah Winfrey Network the other day.  She had on Dr. Shefali Tsabary, the author of  The Conscious Parent.  While my children are now adults, 20 and 22, respectively, I still feel I have much to learn when it comes to parenting.  Dr. Tsabary was explaining that when we have a child, our job is not simply to guide them on their journey through life but that they guide us through our own journey as well. That becoming a parent provides a mirror into our own selves, our short comings, our own issues and we learn and grow alongside our children.  This made me stop and think about my own journey as a parent.  There were many times I told my oldest child, Nicholas, "I am doing my best.  This is the first time I have had a 15 year old child", or whatever age he was at the time.  I was very conscious of the fact that I may not know exactly what I was doing.  That all my decisions were made out of extreme love for this child but with no experience, may not turn out as I had planned.  I was in the process of learning how to be a parent.  Throughout the short clip, Dr. Tsabary talked about how we as parents need to remember that our child is a whole person with aspirations, goals, wants and needs that may not be the same as the aspirations, goals, wants and needs that we may have for them. Our job is to help our children grow into their authentic self not into what we or society believes they should be.  I was intrigued by what she was saying enough that I purchased the book to read more about conscious parenting. Maybe you will do the same.  All I know for sure is that when it comes to parenting, I will always have more to learn.   ​