Your Guide to Contemplative Parenting & Conscious Caregiving
- Contemplative Parenting
- Conscious Caregiving
- Becoming a Parent
- Coping with Empty Nest Syndrome and Loss
Many on the contemplative path ask themselves how they can better nurture their loved ones’ minds, bodies, and spirits. Contemplative parenting and caregiving can be especially challenging for those working through trauma from toxic religion, spiritual abuse, and faith deconstruction. These free resources offer support to parents and caregivers on the spiritual journey.
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Contemplative Parenting
Sustain the energy that’s endlessly demanded of parents with simple, 5-minute daily practices of silent contemplation that you can do while washing dishes or folding laundry.
- Listen: Seeing Nature as a Child by Brian McLaren, Learning How to See podcast
- Read: Conscious Parenting Weekly Summary, Daily Meditations
- Watch: Practicing Resilience in a Divided World With Paul Raushenbush and Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, Love Period podcast on YouTube
- Practice: Loving Kindness Meditation, Daily Meditations
Conscious Caregiving
Act lovingly, even in stressful times, by inviting God’s grace and compassion to flow through us—even in times of anger, frustration, and suffering.
- Listen: Welcoming All of Ourselves on the Spiritual Journey, We Conspire
- Read: Midlife Musings by Erin Sanzero, ONEING: Falling Upward
- Watch: Richard Rohr on Falling Upward, YouTube
- Practice: Loving Your Inner Child, Daily Meditations YouTube Practices
Before Becoming a Parent
Enter confidently into new life stages, like faith deconstruction, becoming a parent or moving away from family, with greater love and deeper awareness.
- Listen: Our Children Are Not Ours, Richard Rohr’s Homilies podcast
- Read: Creating Space for Sleep and Imagination by The Nap Ministry’s Tricia Hersey, We Conspire
- Watch: Parenting, Another Name for Everything podcast, YouTube
- Practice: Breath Prayer, Daily Meditations Practices on YouTube
Coping with Empty Nest Syndrome and Loss
Contemplative practices can help you make sense of second-half-of-life parenting challenges, such as empty nest syndrome, death of a child, or loss of a relationship.
- Listen: Tips for the Road with Richard Rohr and James Finley, Everything Belongs podcast
- Read: Becoming a Mature Elder by Richard Rohr, Daily Meditations
- Watch: What is Trustworthy About Death by James Finley, YouTube
- Practice: Letting Go of Things, Daily Meditations Practices on YouTube
Applying Contemplative Parenting and Conscious Caregiving in Your Life
Children are bombarded with modern crises such as climate change, challenges to LGBTQ+ rights, continuing to strive for gender equality, environmental stewardship, spiritual abuse, and working towards true social justice.
CAC founder and Franciscan friar Richard Rohr writes, “The older we get, the further we move from the delight and curiosity of childhood. We must always be ready to see anew.” We hope these resources help you see anew while walking the contemplative path with your children and those you care for.
We invite you to share your stories of contemplative parenting with us.