Today’s post is by the fabulous Caz from Mojito Mother. She was kind enough to put her hand up to be the first guest poster for the parenting files.
If you really want to know how to live a happy and free life, spend time with a child. Make sure you are fully engaged and present when you do as they hold so many natural gems of wisdom
We all come into this world as babies poised for growth and prosperity. Sadly as we get older we lose our connection to what is most truthful about life, and we forget how to live it with perfect harmony.
I spend many hours with Kalyra watching and learning how to live a rewarding and fulfilling life. Her lessons are too numerous to put in one post but here are just a few of them.
Acknowledge, Appreciate and Respect Everything Around You
On our walks outside in nature, Kalyra delights in the creation that surrounds her. There is nothing too small that escapes her eye, her admiration and awe. She stops and crouches down to look at all types of bugs, insects, frogs, sticks, twigs, rocks, nuts and leaves. She laughs at the squirrels as they chase each other around the trees.
She’ll chatter away at all things and then give them a great wave as she departs, yelling its name as she goes “Bye Nut, Bye Leaf.” Everything around her is so deserving of her admiration, respect and acknowledgement.
How often do we rush around in life, caught up in our own problems and become so immune and unaware to the little miracles of life that surround us each day?
Take some time today to stop and smell the roses and appreciate and acknowledge the beauty of life.
Feel Your Emotions
I’ve learnt not to resist Kalyra’s emotional outbursts. I know now to just acknowledge how she’s feeling and just say “Okay, when you’re ready we can move forward.”
And then I’ll just sit back and let her totally feel her emotions. She’ll kick and scream and roll around on the floor, but in 2 minutes it will be all over. The emotions have been felt and have passed through her body and are now gone. She’s not ignoring them or holding them in, she’s just releasing it.
We need to feel what we are feeling and then let it go; it wouldn’t hang around as emotional baggage crippling us for years if we just did this one simple 2 minute emotional exercise.
I have my own adult temper tantrums now. Of course, I don’t do it rolling around on the supermarket floor, but I go in my room, cry out my tears of anger and frustration, and abuse my journal in a flurry of words. A few minutes later it’s out and over and I feel clear, refreshed and ready to move on.
Next time you have an intense emotion just let it go, let it run through your body and be gone. (Just make sure you do it in private to reduce collateral damage)
Do Things for Yourself but Know When to ask for Help
Kalyra loves to learn and accomplish new things. She stays focused on the task and tries until she gets it right. When she finally achieves the intended result she gives great shouts of joy “I did it! I did it” We jump around and cheer and celebrate her success.
Kalyra also knows her limitations. She always tries it herself first, but she knows if she’s not ready or capable enough yet and so will always ask for help at this stage.
Always first see what you can accomplish and never be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Play Full out with Intensity, Passion, Fun, and Laughter.
Kalyra throws 100% of her passion into everything she does. She laughs a deep, belly laugh at everything and anything; she jumps on the bed like a maniac; she swings as high as she can go on a swing and locks us all in the walk-in closet so we can dance like there’s no tomorrow.
Kalyra doesn’t care whose watching or what she looks like she just wants to have fun and have everyone else do the same.
“Dance like no one is watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like no one is listening, Live like it’s heaven on earth.” William Purkey,
Treat Yourself with Love
Kalrya doesn’t beat herself up, call herself names or dislike herself due to any mistakes made or injuries sustained.
She knows if she gives love to herself she will instantly heal and feel better and the mistakes are just par for the course. Kalyra loves Kalyra. How do children go from this natural state to become adults that are filled with self-loathing?
Do yourself a favour– kiss yourself better and go admire yourself in the mirror-You Are Amazing!
Everyday Kalyra learns something new and teaches me something new in the process. She is my greatest spiritual teacher. When you spend time with a child you will be reminded of what you once knew- how to live a true, free and happy life.
Caz Makepeace has been living and travelling around the world for 14 years. When not sipping mojitos around the world she is inspiring and empowering women to put the mojo back into their life at her blog Mojito Mother. She also writes about how to travel the world at y Travel Blog.
