Compassionate Parenting

These days, there are countless methods being introduced as the “best” way to parent. The truth is, whether you’re a working mom or a stay-at-home dad, there are many good and healthy ways to be a parent. There is no one-size fits all approach. While they vary greatly in technique, a flaw in many of these methods  is the exaggerated pressure on parents to look outward. Most parenting advice instructs on how to be with children in order to control or modify their behavior. Yet, research has shown that there is one thing all people can do to be a better parent…focus on themselves.

In order for parents to have a positive effect on their children, they must be willing to look at their own past. How does their childhood inform their style of parenting? Every person can hugely benefit their children by learning and practicing self-understanding. In this Webinar, Dr. Lisa Firestone will draw on 30 years of key research and her own clinical experience to introduce the compassionate approach to parenting. Her five-week course will highlight vital steps all parents can take to better understand themselves and the ways they relate to and affect their children.

The course will help parents to:

• Exercise compassion toward themselves and their experiences
• Make a cohesive narrative out of their story
• Understand the deep emotions triggered by interactions with their children
• Be mindful of influences from their past
• Conquer critical self-attacks that undermine their ability to parent
• Understand their attachment style with their own parents and their children
• Learn to see and feel for their children as separate and unique individuals
• Raise kids with a true sense of self-worth
• Learn the essential distinction between self-compassion over self-esteem
• Practice mindfulness and calmness in moments of stress
• Learn hands-on tools to acknowledge, communicate with and discipline their children

By getting to know themselves and their history, parents can become far more attuned to and mindful of their child’s needs separate from their own unconscious projections. Parents can focus on taking care of their own mental health, so they don’t “act out” in irrational or emotional ways toward their kids. They can learn to provide a secure base for their children, while allowing them to explore their world as free and able individuals.

When parents ask themselves the question of what kind of child they want to raise, they must recognize the ways their own feelings and behaviors shape this human being. This course asks parents to have a passion for their own lives that will naturally extend to their children, to lead by example and be brave in their willingness to know themselves. By gaining a strong sense of themselves, practicing compassionate and mindful parenting, people give their children a solid foundation from which to build their own emerging sense of self.