Episode 31: Parenting Decolonized Podcast- Conscious Parenting as an Act of Resistance with Vivek Patel
Let’s talk about mainstream parenting and conscious parenting.
Here is some truth to chew on…mainstream parenting is brutal and harmful and we are all tired.
Conscious parenting, on the other hand, is a long and tedious journey but it is worth the sacrifice.
The conscious parenting journey is two-fold, and before we can excel in conscious parenting, we must strip off the negativity of our cultural backgrounds and all the social injustices we’ve internalized. We are in a constant battle of mind over matter, and we have to stay in the fight and win for the sake of our children. We must allow ourselves to go through the process of creating new patterns in our minds and neuro systems. It is an internal work that impacts on our children and the world at large.
“Conscious parenting is not something that you do; it is who you are.”
It is very tempting to be hard on ourselves as we navigate each phase of parenting, but we must understand that self-compassion is a discipline, and it is necessary to stay in the fight. As parents, we must raise children that love themselves. Self-love impacts the world; it is the foundation for conscious parenting. We must recognize our humanity as we recognize our children’s humanity.
“As we heal ourselves and families, we heal the world.”
In this episode, I am joined by Vivek Patel – Husband, Father, Entrepreneur, and Conscious Parenting Educator. Vivek and I discuss:
- Changing the world through conscious parenting: activism and social justice
- Transitioning from unfocused rebellion to focused resistance
- The role of culture in raising children- holding on to aspects that empower and letting go of coerciveness
- Healing generations by healing ourselves: Embracing self-love
- Envisioning an equitable future for your children: What kind of parent do you have to become?
- Breaking old parenting patterns and building conscious parenting patterns
- Approaching parenting from a problem-solving mindset instead of a problem fixing mindset
Conscious parenting involves the power of bold imagination to reimagine what parenting means to you. You must empower our children to be critical thinkers who can advocate for themselves, because their feelings are valid. There is no hierarchy in parenting; children should never be enslaved to parenthood. It is our responsibility to show our children how they deserve to be treated instead of succumbing to society’s marginalization. We have the power to change the narrative, not in just words but also in action! This journey is predicated on focused resistance.
Vivek Patel of Meaningful Ideas has been teaching Conscious Parenting concepts to families for over 10 years. The ideas he shares have been used by thousands of families to create more harmony and connection in their homes.
His online audience has grown to over 100 thousand people. He has written over 500 parenting articles and created over 100 videos. There is also a book in the works.
Vivek cares deeply about empowering parents to develop more harmonious relationships with their kids using a powerful parenting model based on Communication, Connection and Collaboration.
Check out Vivek on social media as he shares his wealth of knowledge:
www.facebook.com/meaningfulideas
www.youtube.com/meaningfulideas
www.instagram.com/meaningfulideas
And if you’re a black parent who wants to learn how to be a more conscious parent, we’d love to have you in our Facebook group, Conscious Parenting for the Culture.
We’ll be discussing this more on the Parenting Decolonized Facebook page so see y’all over there!