Making the Most of Mindfulness by Dana Smith Bader in OTR Blog
“All of us lead very busy lives, and we are always on the go. As such, it is very difficult to find time to relax and be mindful of the important things in life. However, mindfulness is not only good for us, but it is also good for our kids. This week we take a look at the benefits of mindfulness and how we can teach it to our kids.”
Starting from 5:00 am when my alarm beeps me out of bed, my family is on the go. First, I shower, pray, and get ready for the day. Then, I wake the two youngest girls. They get ready for school, and then we feed the cats and ourselves breakfast and move to the salon to wait for the bus. At 6:50 am, the bus arrives and off the children go to school. Next, I leave for work at my nursery in Sharjah, and my husband gets ready and leaves for his office in JLT. My eldest daughter then leaves for university and stays until she completes her work, projects, and studying for the day. Usually, the kids arrive home at 3:15 pm, have lunch and begin homework. I follow around 5:00 pm, and my husband follows around 6:30 or 7:00 pm. We usually have dinner sometime around 7:00 pm and then we enjoy a bit of time together before it’s time to get to bed. The next day, the schedule begins again.
Within the whirlwind of our daily schedule, there is very little time for relaxation. However, as parents, we need to relax, and we want our kids to be relaxed, creative, and focused. Yet, finding time to focus and space to think in this high-speed world can be tricky. Therefore, making the most of mindfulness is essential. Mindfulness teaches our kids to tune into their feelings and thoughts. Fostering this skill early on can help them better handle stress later on and can benefit them in many ways. According to psychologists, mindfulness in children boosts their mood and self-esteem; encourages empathy, emotional control, and optimism; aids academic learning and improves cognitive control; reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression; and even reduces peer aggression. Click here to read the complete article
by Dana Smith Bader, Director, Over The Rainbow Nursery
