| Walk your talk. | | | | a grassy knoll. Sit on a dock and dangle your feet in |
| Remember, your children are watching. | | | | the water. Ride or groom a horse. Touch nature and |
| Attitudes are more easily caught than taught, | | | | let it touch you back down deep in your soul. Let |
| You can never, not model. | | | | your children see how much you enjoy it. |
| Your actions speak louder than your words. | | | | 5. Get out of you mind. Rational thought and |
| The statements above are just a few of the ways | | | | analyzing are of the mind. They are components of |
| to express the notion that it is important to be a | | | | the mind/body connection, not the soul. Go to your |
| good role model for your children. There are many | | | | heart for messages from the soul. What are your |
| more. For almost everyone agrees that children in | | | | heartfelt desires? All creation begins with desire. |
| this day and age need positive role models. | | | | Desire is the soul urging you what to do next. |
| While it would be difficult to argue against the | | | | Do not limit your children's desires. Encourage them |
| importance of being a positive role model for children, | | | | to pay attention to those urges. It is their soul |
| we contend that it is not enough. Children don't need | | | | moving them forward. Help them find ways to work |
| role models today as much as they need soul models. | | | | for their desires in responsible, caring ways. |
| Our children need people in their lives who recognize | | | | 6. Help you children make BE choices as well as DO |
| that they are in this world, but not of this world. | | | | choices. Doing is the job of body. It is always |
| They need adults who can move past the ego-driven | | | | engaged in doing something. We make DO choices all |
| control styles exhibited by so many parents today | | | | the time. Playing catch, reading a story, praying, and |
| and connect with them on a soul level. | | | | putting a puzzle together are all examples of doing. |
| Do you feel compelled to move past the limiting | | | | The job of the soul is being. We can be open-minded, |
| notion of being a role model and purposefully expand | | | | considerate, friendly, happy, silly, or many other sates |
| your reach to touch souls with your children on a | | | | of being. When we decide how we want to be in a |
| regular basis? Do you want to add spiritual to the | | | | given situation and then actively be that way, it |
| physical, mental, and emotional connection you | | | | affects how we do whatever it is that we are doing. |
| already feel with your children? If so, the strategies | | | | Help children bring how they are being into harmony |
| below will help you do that. Read through the ideas | | | | with their souls and they will experience greater |
| presented and see which ones resonate on a deep | | | | satisfaction in whatever they choose to do. |
| level for you. Pay close attention to those. Those are | | | | 7. Help children learn to focus. The soul wants to be |
| the ones your soul is urging you to implement. | | | | present and to be here now. If you talk on the |
| 1. Help your children turn concept into experience. | | | | phone while you are doing your taxes and |
| Your soul knows about generosity, love, caring, etc. | | | | simultaneously watch TV, you may think you are |
| It understands those concepts thoroughly. The soul | | | | modeling for your children the valuable skill of |
| doesn't need any more information about these | | | | multi-tasking. In actuality, you are demonstrating how |
| concepts. What the soul desires is to experience | | | | to give important activities partial attention by diluting |
| generosity, loving, and caring. You may have a heart | | | | your focus and not being fully present for any of |
| filled with love, but if you do nothing loving, the soul | | | | them. |
| lacks the experience of loving. | | | | 8. Separate the deed from the doer. Children are not |
| Help you children to know themselves as loving by | | | | their behavior. They are not their report card. They |
| showing them how to do loving things. Encourage | | | | are not their table manners. They are not their anger. |
| their generous acts so their souls can experience | | | | Those behaviors are only their behaviors in this |
| generosity. Help them to be caring by demonstrating | | | | present moment. It is not who and what they are as |
| and encouraging caring acts. | | | | human beings----a child of God. |
| 2. Share your feelings. Your soul communicates | | | | "I like you and I don't like that behavior," are the |
| through feelings. The messages it sends come from | | | | words to use and the attitude to take to separate |
| the inside, out. Trust your feelings and allow your | | | | the deed from the doer. It tells the child that it is the |
| child access to the process of naming, describing, and | | | | behavior that is inappropriate. Love remains for the |
| using feelings to help make decisions. Honor you | | | | child while the behavior is disliked. |
| child's feelings and help them to trust those valuable | | | | 9. See it all as perfect. If your child is disrespectful of |
| messages that are the language of the soul. | | | | her grandparent, see that as the perfect way for her |
| 3. Protect your child from noise pollution. The soul | | | | to communicate to you that she needs to learn more |
| requires quiet times. Televisions blare in living rooms | | | | about respect for the elderly. See it as the perfect |
| with no one present. The radio goes on as soon as | | | | time to teach her a lesson on showing respect. |
| people enter their cars. Malls, stores, and outdoor | | | | When your child leaves his toys out, that is the |
| events create a constant barrage of music. The | | | | perfect time for him to learn about what happens |
| woods are increasingly filled with four-wheelers and | | | | when he makes that choice. If your teen turns off |
| motor bikes. Once peaceful lakes, now contain noisy | | | | the alarm and goes back to sleep, it is the perfect |
| speed boats as more and more people equate fun | | | | opportunity to allow her to experience the natural |
| with speed and noise. | | | | consequences of being late for school. |
| Go for quiet walks with your children. Have quiet time | | | | You can see the parenting moment that you face |
| in your home and automobile. Inner listening requires | | | | today as awful or you can see it as perfect. To |
| silence. Help your child quiet his outer world to give | | | | bump souls with your child, choose to see it as |
| room for his inner world to come forth. | | | | perfect. |
| 4. Get back to nature. Direct contact with nature is | | | | 10. See you child as a teacher. Your children are in |
| essential to healthy spiritual development, not to | | | | your life as much so you can learn from them as |
| mention the positive effects it has on physical and | | | | they are so they can learn from you. Be open to the |
| mental development. In this electronic age, our | | | | lessons your children offer you and honor them for |
| children are plugged in to everything but nature. They | | | | helping you learn and grow. |
| are missing contact with the beauty and silence of | | | | When you use the ideas above do not be surprised if |
| the natural world. Their souls ache from the negative | | | | you begin to see your child as you have not seen |
| effects of nature-deficit disorder. | | | | her before. You may begin talking to your son with |
| Walk in the woods, camp, or bike on a nature trail. | | | | language patterns you have not used previously. You |
| Go to the roof of your city apartment building if | | | | may hear your children with new ears. Not to be |
| necessary and watch the stars and wonder. Chase | | | | alarmed. Those are simply the joyous sights and |
| fire flies, let snow flakes melt on your face, roll down | | | | sounds of souls touching. |