Lynn Jericho
“I am truly happy and inspired to be part of Lisa’s magazine, The Wonder of Childhood and to be writing for a community of caring and creative parents. Lisa, I celebrate your love for children and parents and all the wisdom and encouragement you provide through this magazine and your many other efforts.”
To begin this journey through the wonderland of inner parenting, I will offer an open description of inner parenting.
Inner Parenting is the dynamic interaction between, the powerful influences on and the mysterious experiences within the inner lives of the parent and the child. You are shaping your child’s soul and they are shaping yours.
Dynamic in that the two inner lives are always moving, dancing, stumbling, leaping, tippy-toeing – never still. The child moves, the parent moves in response. The parent moves, the child moves in response. Innumerable interactions live between them every day.
Powerful in that the two inner lives control and shape perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of each other. Both the child and the parent influence each other in many, many ways. The power can be benign and supportive, or harmful and undermining – the karma of the parent-child relationship is a bed of roses and roses have thorns. Physical size has nothing to do with the size of influence – your child impacts your life with extraordinary force.
Mysterious in that the inner relationship is full of surprises, revelations, deep challenges and deep comforts that provide what might be called “spiritual initiations.”
Inner Parenting is not about judging – good/bad parent, good/bad child. It is about simply observing. It’s about comprehending compassionately. It’s about good humor and graceful resilience. It’s about moving above the dramas and the ideals of parenting and seeing and forgiving the whole amazing relationship.
Takes my breath away to write this down so succinctly. My children are 32 and 28 and all that I have written above still pertains.They are both parents of their own children now. My grandchildren are initiating me into the blessed responsibility of being a grandmother and giving me a new sense of myself. It’s a new dynamic, a new power and, definitely, a new mystery. You might want to share Inner Parenting with your parents.
Over the coming issues of The Wonder of Childhood, I will share many perspectives on Inner Parenting – spiritual, psychhological, biological and practical. I will explore topics like the role of the temperaments, the role of the senses, ancestral dynamics, the developmental cycles and themes, rage, frustration, anger and all the challenges of emotions, guardian angels and much more. I welcome your questions and your suggestions – email me at innerparenting@imagineself.com
For those of you who want to dive right into the wisdom of Inner Parenting, I am offering a webinar (an interactive, live course over the internet), Sunshine and Shadows – Parenting Your Child’s Soul While Healing Your Own. You can learn about the course here.
Lynn Jericho writes, teaches, mentors, counsels and guides from a wisdom inspired by Waldorf Education and Rudolf Steiner. Known for her warmth and creativity, she makes sense of the complexities of the developing soul. Her Inner Christmas messages are read by more than 8000 people around the world and her book, Six Ways to Celebrate Christmas and Celebrate You, brings new understanding to the cosmic, social and personal meanings of the holiday. Lynn was a cofounder of a birthing center and a pioneer parent of the Waldorf School of Princeton. Her newest adventure is being a grandmother.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
