A Mother's Guide To Raising Fine Pre-teens

A mother’s job has no retirement age and her child is always a priority. As kids grow older than 7, they start exploring the world and its ways, adding to their library of discoveries and learning. For pre-teens, it is a transformative period and often marked by tantrums, mood swings, unhealthy eating habits, poor focus, demanding nature, and a struggle to be independent, to list a few.

Should they be allowed to have their way or should a mother’s decision prevail? "What is best for my kids" is what every mother is concerned about.

We spoke to a few mothers on what bothers them the most and have come up with 6 concerns that all moms share. These challenges shall be discussed over a series of 6 articles, each with out-of-the-box solutions, and how meditation can help you implement these solutions.

Challenges ahead, handle with care!

Challenge #1: How Do I Deal With My Kid’s Endless List Of Questions?

Tip #1:

For times when you don’t have an answer, you can always tell your kids, "Mummy will get back to you on this tomorrow". And make sure you do. You will teach them the value of commitment.

Everyday, Susan asks hundreds of questions, "Mom, how do the clouds float in the sky? Can I also float like them? Mom, if I take a flight to the stars, how long will it take for me to reach there?" Mom doesn’t know how to answer so many questions in a day. Sometimes, she doesn’t even have an answer.

In the age group of 7 to 12 years, the child’s learning curve is very sharp. It is important that you spend adequate time with your child answering his or her questions. Patience is essential to make sure they learn the right things in life. These lessons are going to be their lessons for life, inculcating and nourishing the values that form the basis of their personality.

TIP#2:

Answering all the questions that your child shoots at you with a lot of patience and love is commendable. But, did you know itcanbe done creatively as well? So when your kid asks, "Mum how do the clouds float", you can let him find the answer, saying, "How about discussing it with your friends?" and call them over to hear what every kid has to share. You’ll be amazed at the varieties of answers they come up with. Kids will not only have an amazing time, but will also cultivate the habit of sitting together and brainstorming. Over a long holiday, you can get all the kids to sit together and do science projects as well!

How Meditation Helps?

When a child is born, a mother is born. And with motherhood, patience comes naturally. However, we are overwhelmed by the stresses we are faced with. This is where meditation is a big help. With meditation, you will find yourself at your level best. Meditation as effortless as Sahaj Samadhi can give you profound rest in a matter of 20 minutes without you doing anything. It is like opening a tap of energy and letting it flow to every cell of your body. Meditation releases stress from your mind] so you give your hundred percent when you are with your kids.

Would you like to try a meditation online guided by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar?

To Moms, With Love…

For a mother, every moment with her child is so precious. If she could, she would steal and hide them in her album of memories. A new story of adventure, wit, and inspiration is written every day when mom and her baby are together. Here’s one of those celebrated moments of motherhood that a mom would love to share…

Story #1: Nobody can stop Raji and her son Aadit from coming up with brilliant yet amusing remarks. Here is how they blend wit with humor:

Aadit: Mum, what did the chemistry book say to the math book?

Mum: You got problems, I got solutions.

Story #2: If you happen to come across Padmini and her mum Bharathy, you would find them creatively enquiring about the answers to Padmini’s innumerable queries. Padmini would often ask mum, "Who ‘gived’ the stars and who ‘gived’ the trees, Amma (mother)?" The anomalies of the English Language innocently surface in her communication. To which Amma would say, "What do you think Padmini, who would have given these?" It is amazing to see how skillfully Bharathy handles her daughter’s questions while invoking a quest for knowledge in her. If Padmini doesn't have an answer, they'd go to her Appa (father) and ask. Such an effortless way to keep both the parents involved with the child so that she may get the best from both of them.

Take to a Sahaj Samadhi Program and be the mom you’ve always aspired to be.

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Do you have a super naughty kid whom you are finding difficult to handle? Don’t give up! We’ll tell you how easily can you deal with this challenge in the next sequel to this article.

Do you have an experience of adventure, wit, and inspiration to share? We'd love to hear your side of the story and share it with our readers.

Write to us at webteam.meditation@artofliving.org.

Author: Ravisha Kathuria

Ravisha Kathuria, a passionate writer, has just begun dabbling in the world of words. Through her articles, she conveys the beauty of the ancient knowledge of meditation in its simplest form that are easy takeaways for the readers.

The author has written this article based on meditation inputs by Bharathy Harish, Sahaj Samadhi Meditation Teacher