“How to Help our Children with Emotional Turmoil”

The craziness we have in the world is a reflection of what we have going on within. But what can be done about this? What can we teach our children that will help them get through the difficult times and find peace?

We have school shootings, people in conflict, people telling untruths, lots of greed, and on and on. But what can we do to change all of this?

Teach Wisdom and Emotional Wellbeing

I have noticed, that many parents don’t teach their children life principles at all. And it’s not their fault, they are too busy trying to make a living. But, first and foremost it’s our responsibility to teach our children. For in the future our children will take our place and run the world.

But there are a few schools and institutions that do teach wisdom and emotional wellbeing, but they are few and far between. What we focus on in schools is how to get ready to make money.

Thus when a child is upset, they don’t know how to deal with their emotions and thus lash out at the world in any way they can. And later in life that lashing out can become violent… and society pays the price.

Teaching How to Quiet the Mind

Simple things such as teaching a child how to quiet his mind is amazingly important for emotional well-being. Our minds become overwhelmed with all the emotional turmoil of the day and without proper training, we can in some instances become unbalanced.

But by teaching simple mind quieting techniques… a child can find inner peace and thus find emotional balance. There are courses such as “Anapana” which is an after-school Vipassana based learning process that helps children quiet their mind and achieve emotional balance. Here is the link to finding an Anapana program near you… http://www.children.dhamma.org/en/

Mindful Programs for Children

And there is also teaching our children to be mindful and there are many yoga mindful based programs that help children find emotional balance. Instead of having a child holding onto old baggage and focusing on the past or the future mindful based programs help children live life in the here-and-now. Programs like “Little Flower Yoga” how children to find inner peace and life right now. See link - http://littlefloweryoga.com/programs/teacher-training

Teaching Wisdom to Children

And there are lots of wisdom based ways of teaching children. If a person has a spiritual persuasion… that is great. And there are others, including “Masters Little Wisdom” books, music, and programs for children. These books and more teach wisdom in ways that small children can grasp. Here is the link to “Masters of Little Wisdom” — http://dreamaworld.com/for-parents-and-teachers/curriculum/csl-curriculum/

And there are lots of children’s books that teach life lessons - one of the sellers of such books is “Bright Horizons” which has many wonderful books that teach wisdom. See Link - https://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/reading-children-books/childrens-books-teach-life-lessons

And there are a lot more great ways to teach children about wisdom… all we have to do is take the time.

Many Blessings to Everyone!

Dr. Paul Haider