So, I'm getting ready to teach a class tonight. Another breastfeeding, newborn care class. It's with my Prenatal Yoga Class. It's the Partner Class. They'll bring in their partners, moms, aunts, friends, whomever will be close to them after baby is born. I've taught a variation of this class for 13 years at least once a month. It's sometimes with partners and other times it's just Mom. At this point I teach a half dozen classes per month to new parents. I do find that much of the message is the same. I am always looking for different ways to express the same thing really. And today it occured to me that what I'm teaching is how to listen to your children. How to shut the hell up and listen to your child. I'm often drawn to hold some of the babies that come to me for "breastfeeding help" and I'll look in their eyes, quiet myself listen and let them know that it's alright at somepoint they'll stop to listen to you. I know a Grandma the frequently says she really doesn't like them when they're babies. She likes them when they can talk. Literally, and left brained we think talk is the only form of communication. If we are going to evolve as a species we need to use our whole brain...talk is one way to communicate, YESSSS, but what of touch, movement, and the brain in the belly, our guts and intuition. I need my kids to think outside of the box that I and my brethren have provided for them.
They will tell you everything. Indeed, they're the smart ones. Our job is to get out of our own way and surrender to each child's innate and highly unique inner-me. Not try to mold, change, or grow them up. They do this more often in spite of us.
Just being quiet and listening. Parenting is a meditation of surrender. Allowing ourselves to just be with the situation, the rhythm of breastfeeding and a newborn. We are meant to be in-sync with a new babies to sleep when they sleep, keep them in the loving protection of the arms of the mamma bear. They may not have words now or when they're born. By quieting ourselves, breathing calming, meditative hormones throughout our body and simply being with the spirit of our children JUST as they are NOW. This is parenting. Quieting, listening and truly hearing their song.