My Presence Parenting Practice (to increase joy & gratitude! :)

Hello. Hello, it's Alexandra. I hope you're having a great day. So today's video is on one of my favorite parenting practices. And Dan Siegel, in an interview I did with him once, he said that parenting is one of the most challenging and most rewarding and joyful experiences ever. And I was pregnant at the time, and I didn't get it. And I was like, why is it challenging? How could it be challenging to have these miraculous beings in our lives? Like, I just didn't get it. I think there's something sweet about soon to be parents and being so naive of what it actually takes to be an awesome parent and just be a parent in general. And I know for the parents watching this, they totally get what I'm saying. And for the not yet parents, when you become a parent, it'll all make sense. The challenging and the joy and the roller coaster of emotions that you can have in one day with your children, it's pretty outrageous. And at the same time, I couldn't imagine not being a mother. I love being a mother. I love the experience of motherhood. I love all that I'm learning and all the growth that it is causing me to have and to experience. So I definitely love it. And it's challenging. So with that being said, one of my favorite practices is practicing presence. And what presence means for me is coming back to the moment, being here, right here, right now, doing what I'm doing and accepting it, being content and just aware of what the current reality is. So for an example, how I use this practice, let's say that my little guy is, you know, he's playing, he's doing his thing, and, you know, he's having fun. And I just have this itch, this itch to do something else. I have so many things that I want to do in the day. Or there's a moment of I wish that I was reading a book, or I wish that I was writing, or I wish that I was getting a massage. I just notice whatever stories I'm having, anytime that I'm feeling that resistance or the emotions of frustration or irritation, upset, I realize I'm not currently accepting reality. I'm not present. I'm not present to what is happening right here in this moment with me and with my child. So I come back to my breath, I breathe it in, and I just feel what's happening in my body. I become aware and notice the stories. Okay, yeah, I have the story that I wish I was getting a massage right now. What is currently happening right now. Okay, I'M not in the position to get a massage right now. I am with my child. So how do I work with that? And then I look at my child and I observe him. I look at his little feet, I look at his smile. I see how that feels. I just keep coming back to the moment of what is happening right, right in that moment. And for me, every time I do this, I connect to the joy that's always available. I connect to gratitude. And I can feel appreciation for myself. I can feel appreciation for this amazing being that's in front of me. And he's just exploring the world. And I can just let my stories go. I can stop the kind of rat race that's always going on in our heads, that we're always thinking about the future or the past or what we're going to say to so and so, or what we're going to do tomorrow or what we're going to do in six months and what are we going to do when our child is five. All of these things keep us from actually engaging in the present moment and appreciating our life. So I love this practice. It keeps me sane. It keeps me sane, it keeps me happy, and it keeps me connected. Connected to myself and connected to my child. And I highly recommend it. So anytime that you're feeling resistance or you're just not feeling all sparkly and awesome, ask yourself, what is happening right now? What is happening? Breathe. Accept it. Accept that you are doing what you are doing at that moment and that it is all perfect. That can be challenging sometimes, I know, but it's definitely one of the biggest spiritual practices for me. You know, if I don't, I'm doing the dishes, I get upset or I don't want to be doing the dishes. I wish I was sleeping or I wish I was doing something else. I just come back to, wow, I am doing the dishes and I feel the sensations on my hand. I connect to gratitude. I think about, you know, it's amazing that we have dishes and that we have incredible abundance to eat the food that we eat and that I have a family, that I have a husband and I have a child that, you know, get things messy. And it just is. It's an amazing practice just to come back to gratitude and come back to the present moment. So I think that's all I'm going to say on that today. So that is my top, one of my top parenting practices. And I highly recommend that you do it as much as you can. Just keep coming back to the moment, coming back to your breath, trusting and just allowing reality to be as it is. And the more that we do this, the more joy we have, the more enthusiasm we have, the better parents we are because we're present. We're present with ourselves, we're present with our children, and we're more attuned to them rather than just off in our head in some fantasy trip of how we think it should be. So get present, stay connected, remember to breathe, and trust that everything is unfolding with divine perfection. Yeah. Okay. Have a wonderful day. Sending you lots and lots of love.