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What is Aware Parenting?

Parents drawn to Aware Parenting are attracted to the idea of listening to their baby’s feelings. They believe that holding and being ‘present’ when their baby cries allows a baby to be fully heard and accepted. Parents who practise this report great healing, joy and many other benefits from viewing crying in this way.

If you believe that children and babies cry because there may be sadness, grief, confusion and frustration that needs to be ‘heard’, then the journey of aware parenting will be a very fulfilling one for you. Aware parents believe that if we can accept all of a child’s feelings, and allow and teach children to be present with their feelings, children will not repress feelings via habitual behaviors or physical discipline. Do you believe you can help your children to stay connected to their true essence through being unconditionally loved?

Next time your baby or child cries, hold them in your arms, or sit next to them, and just be. Do not be distracted but find a way to be fully with your child and hear them. Once the crying if finished, notice your child’s behavior. Notice how you feel? When babies and children regularly laugh or cry to express their feelings, a great sense of emotional safety is created for painful feelings to be expressed. Families will notice more connection and will experience joy in seeing children heal from fear and powerlessness. So healing happens all round.

Aware parenting is not just about crying! It is about laughter, valuing everyone’s needs and finding ways for everyone to get their needs met. The more you value yourself, the more you can contribute joy and laughter and fun to your family.

Marion Badenoch Rose from Parenting with Presence says:

“Babies and children who are not given the opportunity to express their painful feelings with loving support may seem contented but tend to express less joy than babies who have been loved and supported in their painful feelings. Babies and children who are distracted from their uncomfortable feelings may smile less and may make less eye contact. On the other hand… when we play laughter games with our older babies and children, we also help create more safety for them to express their more uncomfortable feelings with us. Laughter and crying both get freely expressed and the paradox is, babies and children then become more present. They are more aware of what is going on in the here and now, are more available for connection, and are more able to take in new experiences and information.”