MFA: The Parenting Edition

The Method Series Part 3 of 7:  How does sunshine make you feel? Does that image cause distress or happiness? What is happiness anyway? In our limited time on earth do we have a goal, objective or intention that gives us focus and purpose? If life is impermanent, what are we doing with our time here? How do we find joy and gratitude in, well, everything? 

Living life intentionally and purposefully is a choice. Our happiness springs from our connection to our environment, the universe, nature, those we adore, finding joy in our emotional and spiritual evolvement, offering forgiveness even when we feel we can’t, being thankful for all our abilities and gifts, being grateful we are alive with the option to make different choices. Life is impermanent, so let’s appreciate each sunny day.

The Method Series Part 2 of 7:  Can we look at ourselves in the mirror without judgement? Not glance but take in our form and all its details for an extended period of time without criticizing, nitpicking, judging or comparing. If we can’t, why not? What is the message our actions and our words are teaching our children about body image and self-acceptance? Do we catch all the ways our children mirror back to us who we are and the lessons we’re teaching them? 

From these questions we’re gonna be looking at the mirror from two angles. The first is examining how we see ourselves, our physical appearance and abilities. The second, is understanding how our kids reflect what they see and hear from us.


https://www.mfaparentingedition.com/mirror.html

The Method Series Part 1 of 7:  Do we tune into the present moment regularly or operate on autopilot? How much awareness do we give to the everyday tasks we have in our life; to the mundane habitual things like brushing our teeth, getting dressed, grabbing our phones? How do we engage with our children when they are focused and concentrating on the little things in life (or the big things)? Do we get impatient with them, interrupt them to do something we think is more important, or with a “so what are you doing?” Do we engage with the world around us fully, with our mind, body, and soul?

Our goal today is to heighten our awareness of the little things we do every day to strengthen our concentration. Becoming more in tune with the nuances involved in what we habitually do, gives us more patience and understanding for our children as they learn new skills and brings us right into the present moment.

How difficult is it to forgive? To forgive others, to forgive ourselves. Why do we hold on to so much anger and pain when all it does is cause us suffering? How do we clean this residue from our hearts? What does it take to forgive? Nothing. It is a choice.

This song & dance we do to engage with our children, is it a requirement? What do I mean by song & dance? I mean do we have to know how to be clowns, princess & princes, pirates, singers, songwriters, dancers, comedians, the ultimate performer to be an engaging parent? Will our children be missing something by us not providing them with constant stimulation and entertainment? No, but it is important. Let’s make sure we’re keeping that entertaining quality in check though. Stillness, quiet, free space and boredom are all necessary for their development, their own exploration of the world and imagination building. 

For this episode we’ll examine how to find the balance between being ON and calming the eff down. 

https://www.mfaparentingedition.com/entertainer.html

Do you know who you are? Like at your core? If you had to describe yourself and your life to a stranger what would you say? Have you ever considered how other people would describe you? In this episode we’ll explore ways we can expand our vision of who we are and remove judgement from the script we’re writing of our lives.

I had an acting teacher in college tell us, “No parent looks at their child and says, Dammit you’re gonna be an actor.” Choosing the life of an artist is a choice you make for an extremely personal reason. The same with being a parent. It is a choice.

Why did you choose to become a parent? Why did you choose to become an actor or whatever career path you've chosen for yourself? Why did you choose the life you're living?

An actor’s work starts with work on themselves and that’s where it’s most helpful to begin our journey as parents, with ourselves.

https://www.mfaparentingedition.com/choices.html

These lessons from the theatre for raising ourselves and our kids came about when I realized my MFA in acting trained me for life as a mommy better than life as a full-time actor. Let’s unite to build a village designed to raise ourselves while guiding our children with humor, respect, and compassion. No theatrical experience is necessary for this voyage, all you need is an open mind and a little imagination. From the Method to Mommy Meltdowns and all the moments in between - welcome to MFA.