Once again, a few weeks have gone by since I’ve updated the blog. And once again, it’s because I’ve been happily buried in book projects. Parenting in the Present Moment is currently available for pre-order, and I’m setting up my book tour for next fall and winter now. If you’re interested in having me come speak about mindfulness, parenting, and how to stay focused on what really matters, please be in touch!
In addition, I’ve just begun work on my next book, which will explore how to teach mindfulness to children, with a focus on concrete activities, practices, and tools that parents can use with their kids at home.
The book, tentatively titled, “Stop, Drop, andBreathe: How to Help your Child Focus, Slow Down, and Calm Down Before You Both Have a Total Meltdown,” will differ from other books on the topic in two important ways: First, not only is it intended for parents who want to teach mindfulness to their kids, but it’s going to be based on the experiences and expertise of parents who are already doing it! Many of the current books about mindfulness for children draw from activities and practices used in classrooms and clinics, and while that work is incredibly important, it’s also quite different from the experiences of parents trying to do this stuff at home with their own children.
In addition, the book will not only provide parents with specific ideas to use at home, but it will also encourage parents to learn to identify and build on moments and sources of mindfulness that already exist in their lives. While I certainly believe there are many wonderful ways to teach children to pay attention with acceptance, I also believe the most effective ways are the ones that arise naturally in the course of our children’s daily lives.
The book will be published by New Harbinger Publications in the fall of 2015.
I have already completed a number of interviews with parents, but I am looking for more parents to learn from! If you would like to participate in an email interview about your experience teaching mindfulness practices to your children, please send me a message on Facebook. You don’t need to be an expert; this is an ongoing journey for all of us. You just need to be willing to share your successes and challenges. I am particularly interested in interviewing fathers and parents of older children (pre-teens and teens), but I am looking forward to learning from anyone who is interested in sharing!
For more updates on the upcoming book tour for Parenting in the Present Moment and the progress of Stop, Drop, and Breathe, please follow me on Facebook and Twitter.
