The Best Way To Breathe

Posted on by learnchild

The Golden Room 

Once more the holiday season is here and we are ever so busy. We are busy making sure that our season adequately reflects our privileged existence here on this planet, we always see room for improvement, and we constantly strive for bigger and better things to come. Our spaces are wonderfully prepared for us, and yet, hardly do we find ourselves in a state of satisfaction and gratitude.

This busy work is all too easy to understand, because there is a secret we have forgotten. As we work to redouble our luxuries, we forget that everything we need for happiness is already right here within us.

The following poem is an exercise to help us remember our unseen power and ability to be happy and content. Once we entered the golden room and learned to return often, our spaces turn into places where we celebrate a great love for life and people near and far beyond the palisades of our palaces.

The Golden Room- A Breathing Exercise

The Golden Room is yours.

The Golden Room is so inviting.

The Golden Room is calm and quiet.

You might want to pass it in a rush, yet, there you find infinite harmony.

You might stomp there in anger just to bathe in eternal peace.

You might stagger in with agony and be surrounded by healing in abundance.

You might even crawl inside, in shame and guilt and fear, still, there you soar in boundless compassion.

You might huff and puff with righteousness, and there you are uplifted by forgiveness.

You might wander all alone in solitary pain, but there your dearest friend is waiting.

So now, child, welcome to the Golden Room, breathe in-

wonder — breathe out.

So now, friend and foe, welcome to the Golden Room, breathe in –

delight — breathe out.

So now, mother, welcome to the Golden Room, breathe in –

adore —- breathe out.

So now, father, welcome to the Golden Room, breathe in –

appreciate — breathe out.

So now, teacher, welcome to the Golden Room, breathe in –

rejoice — breathe out.

So now, woman and man, welcome to the Golden Room, breathe in –

admire — breathe out.

So now, ance

Again and again and again.

Until eternity will close the door.

IMG_2486Pinewood Estate at Bok Tower Gardens, Florida.

 

The Best Way to Spend Quality Time with Baby

Posted on by learnchild

Being the mom of four children who were born during a time span of barely seven years, I used to be intrigued by the idea of the existence of quality time. The possibility that the seemingly endless house hold chores would come to a halt and make way for enchanted quality time was exciting and energizing.

If I could just clean and cook a bit faster, quality time would magically begin. If I could get out of work just a bit sooner, I could pick up baby and stop by the park to take a beautiful afternoon stroll with a gentle breeze surrounding us. How often does this happen? If this is quality time, then what is the rest of our time as parents meant to be?

What if, on the contrary, we as moms or dads do nothing but breathe in and out quality time with baby? Quality time with baby is just there every time we look into baby’s eyes, hear her voice, repeat her cues, sooth her, carry her, rock her, hold her.

Quality time with Baby is not a place we reach in the near future, it is not happening tomorrow nor later. Quality time happens when we are deliberate, intentional and dedicated to include baby in each moment.

Quality time is happening right now. It is called life. It will continue, with or without our contributions to quality. We can make quality time real. We can switch on our senses right now. We can see, listen, feel, speak, sing, laugh and play. Yes, running an errand with baby will be more challenging, setting the table will take longer, the kitchen will be messier, the pile of laundry taller.
So will be the list of memories.
Life with baby entirely is quality time. Baby grows fast- and not with the purpose to increase quality time with us but to go out into the world to succeed in finding a life of fulfillment and happiness.
Teach yourself and baby that every moment is quality time for now and for the generations to come.

The Best Christmas Ever

Posted on by learnchild

Once upon a time, in the days of my childhood, when I lived in a village seated in the heart of Hessen in Germany, I experienced the best Christmas ever. I was just a young child, equipped only with awe, wonder and the ability to make memories. The span of one year seemed eternal and the closer Christmas came, the slower time crawled along. Finally Christmas Eve had arrived, – but there was no unwrapping of gifts, devouring of delicious cookies, lighting of the candles on the tree (yes, they were real candles on a real tree) without having first visited a number of less fortunate families in the village. According to my grandmother, the lonely, elderly and heartbroken had to be called upon and Christmas blessings had to be shared before the family celebration could begin. For the first time I was entrusted to accompany my grandmother and help carry off the treats and goodie bags I so desired for myself. Stomping madly through the snow, following my grandmother with hands fisted tightly in anger, I suddenly found myself in the midst of a cloud of feathery-light snow flakes sailing elegantly through the air, landing quietly in their very own spot. The world and all in it had turned silent. Illuminated by the silver moonlight, applauded by shiny stars and complimented by sparkling ice crystals everywhere, the sky generously surrendered snow flurries. A sense of peace and joy came over me. My wise grandmother must have felt it too. She turned around, set her bags on the frosty ground, put my hands into hers and glanced at me with a soft smile. I was no longer angry or sad. I was full of love and delight. Since then, many Christmas Eves have come and gone but this is the one I will always cherish the most. It truly was the best Christmas ever, and I don’t remember a single present I most certainly received later that evening, way back when ……

Still today, I love to remember the feeling of serenity, tranquility and the complete happiness of this moment. In fact, this feeling has become the heart of my values, the essence of my relationship with my family and children and the foundation of my work with children and their families. I am forever grateful to Anna, my grandmother and early teacher. But the greatest teacher of all, Nature, or as I like to call her, Mother Nature, provided the lesson.

Here is what busy parents can do to invite Mother Nature in for the holidays:

1. Collect free Christmas tree branches from tree vendors and allow children to decorate them according to their ideas, taste and desires.

2. Collect a number of twigs with children and use holiday ribbons to tie them together to form a large mobile to hang from the ceiling. Use additional ribbon to hang cards and wish lists from the mobile.

3. Fill a variety of plastic containers with water and place in freezer. Create your very own family ice sculpture and allow the children to observe and interpret the melting process.

You will enjoy these activities if you are present in the moment, present with your child, respectful and non-judgmental of the words, feelings and ideas expressed. Your comments may only describe what you see your child doing, not what you think your child is creating or should do.
Remember that all beginnings are humble, even the tiniest contributor or contribution matters a great deal!

Happy Holiday Season!

Best Afternoon with Baby- Babies Are People Too

Posted on by learnchild

My passion for children, child development and child care started unexpectedly and unplanned. I was in my late twenties and very visibly pregnant, anxiously awaiting the birth of my first child. I was insecure, not knowing what to expect from my soon-to-start state of motherhood. If I added up all the times I had previously spent with babies I could maybe sum up 60 seconds. Of course, I had read a number of relevant books on child birth, infant care, childhood diseases and the likes, but the closer my due date approached, the less prepared I felt. That is when an unknown, self-proclaimed neighbor knocked on my door- armed with an infant and a huge diaper bag. The perfect stranger stated that she was in a dire emergency and needed instant child care for her infant daughter – rendered by no one else but me.  I informed the stranger that I would hardly qualify to watch her baby due to lack of experience. “By the size of your belly, you don’t have much time left to learn,” she said as she shook her head in disbelief upon my obvious ignorance, pushed the baby into my arms and dropped the bag on the door step. She left with a smile and said “Don’t worry, I trust you.” There I stood with baby in arms, jaw dropped open, watching the neighbor drive off. When I dared to look down, I looked into two big twinkling eyes watching me with curiosity and what seemed to be a hint of glee. I remember spending a most enchanted afternoon with this baby. She did not cry or fuss and proved to be a great companion. I learned that babies are people too. I learned that babies have a great ability to communicate and a large variety of interesting responses. Babies are full of curiosity and strive to discover the world around them. I will never forget that afternoon as the key moment that defined my personal and professional development for the next 30 years.