The Child & the Family

Jon and Myla Kabat- Zinn wrote a book about raising children titled Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting. At the heart of their book is the notion of a loving connection that exists between a child and parent. The work of mindfulness becomes a means to recognizing the quiet presence of this essential part of parenting.

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Respect-Cooperation-Compliance

These are the three essential parts of a family that will promote a healthy loving environment at home. Respect and cooperation are mutually acted on by parents and kids. In turn the children's compliance with the parents is enhanced.As children get older the decision to comply with a parent's directive becomes more autonomous. The growing child's awareness of this is a critical developmental learning and can be a template for navigating the world of authority. It's not the parents job to convince their child to comply, at the same time a dictatorial stance will create a punitive and oppressive home environment. The balance is found in the attention paid to each child's uniqueness in the context of the family's values . The work of being a family, all the chores that no one wants to do, is accepted as a fundamental part of life. The benefits and privileges each member enjoys become a meaningful reward and not an entitlement.