We spend a lot of time with our children. No question. We spend a lot of that time taking care of our children. We also spend a lot of that time teaching our children. Body & Mind. We’ve got those covered. This week, we’re going to attend to their souls. We are the ones who are going to do the learning & the listening. We’re going to pose little questions, a couple of times a day, and listen for the deep truths. And don’t forget to document their fabulous insights, they will amaze you. {and don’t worry if you think your child is too small…even questions posed to toddlers who give a non-verbal response can provide thought-provoking moments.}
Monday: pick your poses. No, no. we’re not doing parenting yoga. {hmm, well, maybe we are…} The poses to pick are the questions you want to pose. Two questions a day. For each day of the week. But first, when do you want to ask them? What will work best for your family routine? One at breakfast, the other as you tuck them in to bed? One at lunch and another at dinner? Second, what do you want to ask them Need some ideas? Here’s a list.
Tuesday: ask & ask! And share on our facebook thread. The questions you picked, the answer you got, the age of your child, the insight you learned.
Wednesday: ask again – and let the conversations flow from there. If you extend it out, letting it go another 30 seconds or a minute, what magic happens? Letting it go- allowing it to meander wherever your child takes it. A conversation with no agenda. What could be better in summer?
Thursday: share with your sumbud – what ?’s create the most fascinating or surprising A’s? What did you learn about your child’s soul? How do they see the world? And what does it mean to see things through their eyes?
Friday: feelings. What was it like to spend time hearing about your child’s heart? Pull out your weekly calendar. See the sweet space for feelings? record the ones for this week here. just a word. or two. or three. Soul to soul.
Saturday: based on the Q, but especially the A’s, what value do you want to focus on for next week? And how, given your new insights, do you want to emphasize that value?