Conscious Parenting

Nature Valley asked 3 generations the same question: What did you like to do for fun as a kid? The fondest memories for the two adult generations revolved around doing things outdoors. However, the answers by the youngsters were all indoor activities: video games, streaming films, texting, and computer related.

A song and a viral video gave a homeless man a chance to reconnect with the child he was separated from about 15 years ago. “Music took me around the world before I was 21 and somehow, my music now has gotten me back together with my son,” Donald Gould told 24 Hour News 8 via video call on Tuesday. Video of Gould, a 51-year-old homeless former U.S. Marine, playing a beautiful rendition of “Come Sail Away” by Styx on an outdoor piano in Sarasota, Florida went viral, with millions of people seeing it in the last week.

Children learn more from watching their parents than from listening to them – more is caught than taught. As parents, this puts great weight on how we conduct our lives. It requires us to be intentional about how we live. It requires us to self-reflect and evaluate if our lives match our words. And it requires us to be intentional about identifying the lessons we hope our kids will take from us. Here then, as my two children get older, are the 35 Things I Hope They Will Say About Their Dad. They represent the 35 most important lessons I hope they will learn from my life.

Whether you’re taking time today to honor your mother or yourself as a mother — or both — please consider doing a little inner work. With so much energy being focused on mothering and the collective heart chakra, it’s a great day to create some wholeness around your relationship with your mother, and I’ve created a powerful meditation in the video above.

If you’re a parent, the idea of adding the care and feeding of an animal to your responsibilities might feel like too much work. But having a dog, cat, bunny, hamster or other animal as a part of the family benefits kids in real ways. Studies have shown that kids who have pets do better — especially in the area of Emotional Intelligence (EQ), which has been linked to early academic success, even more so than the traditional measure of intelligence, IQ.

A public elementary school is abolishing traditional homework assignments and telling kids to play instead — outraging parents who say they may pull their kids out of the school. Teachers at P.S. 116 on East 33rd Street have stopped assigning take-home math worksheets and essays, and are instead encouraging students to read books and spend time with their family, according to a letter the school’s principal, Jane Hsu, sent to parents last month.

The following quotes may be used in a variety of ways by both teachers and parents . One idea is for a thought to be posted, read, and discussed at the beginning of each week. It could then be read daily with the students. At the end of the week ask them what they learned or how the thought applied to their lives or activities during the week. Have the children give written or oral examples, or have them draw a picture to illustrate their ideas.