Indeed the magical thing about the parent-child relationship is that it constantly presents us with opportunities to raise ourselves to a state of intensified consciousness.

Hence a conscious approach to parenting urges parents to address issues that are the hallmarks of consciousness, such as: Am I allowing myself to be led toward greater spiritual awakening through my relationship with my children? How can I parent my children with an awareness of what they truly need from me, and thus become the parent they deserve

Just by the fact they draw breath, they have the right to speak their mind, express their feelings, and embody their spirit. Such rights are bestowed with the birth certificate.

Once we have detached from our expectations of how another person “should” behave and we encounter them as they really are, the acceptance we inevitably demonstrate toward them naturally induces connection. This is because authenticity automatically resonates with authenticity.

Often it’s the adjustment of our expectations, rather than reality itself, that’s the hurdle we have to leap.

This is why it’s so crucial that, as parents, we free ourselves of the illusion that it’s our place to approve of who are children are.

When we are unable to accept our children, it’s because they open up old wounds in us, threatening some ego-attachment we are still holding onto. Unless we address why we can’t embrace our children for precisely who they are, we will forever either seek to mold, control, and dominate them—or we will allow ourselves to be dominated by them.

On the contrary, consciousness emerges progressively from unconsciousness. Those who walk the path of consciousness are no different from anyone else, except that they have learned to mine their unconsciousness for its potential for heightened awareness.

On the parent’s side of the equation, the problem with the traditional approach to parenting is that it rigidifies the ego with its delusions of power. Since our children are so innocent and ready to be influenced by us, they tend to offer little resistance when we impose our ego on them— a situation that holds the potential for our ego to become s