Giving our Kids Presence
Kiki’s mom gives Kiki presence.
She listens.
And in that space, Kiki begins to trust herself.
As the school year has started, I’ve noticed that some kids are excited and others aren’t. For some, it’s overwhelming. And sometimes, when our kids are overwhelmed, so are we.
I’ve wondered about this.
And I’ve begun to see that sometimes what I experience as worry for my kids is actually a reflection of anxiety in me. The pain I see in them touches my own pain.
And if I can unclutch from that pain—if I don’t immediately run to fix it or make it go away—what’s left?
Presence.
Maybe giving our kids presence is all our children really want— or need— from us.
With our presence, they have the space to be with whatever is, move through it, and discover for themselves what is possible.
Maybe our children are also giving us an opportunity to meet ourselves—to give ourselves presence—with them as our reflection.
We run
we scramble
we flounder
to find a solution.
We run away from problems.
We run towards solutions.
But it all stems
from the anxiety
of not being here.
In this moment
there is no problem.
Only presence.
And life is fluid.
Meet them there.
Meet ourselves here.
In this moment.
Now.
This reflection was inspired by Kiki and her mom in Kiki and the Pink Dragon.