# LoveParenting: How to Be Mindful in the Moment - The Secret to Parenting with Presence Analogy **Creator:** Hi, Fam! **Platform:** youtube **Duration:** 7m **Source:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM ## Summary The video discusses how the seemingly mundane task of washing dishes can reflect broader life attitudes and values. It emphasizes the importance of shifting perspectives from viewing chores as burdens to appreciating them as opportunities for gratitude and mindfulness. - Washing dishes can be seen as a chore or a blessing, depending on one's perspective. - Approaching tasks with gratitude can enhance overall life satisfaction. - Reflecting on the history and craftsmanship behind dishes can foster appreciation. - Recognizing the privilege of having clean water and food can shift one's mindset. - Mindfulness and sensory experiences can transform mundane tasks into joyful moments. - The choice of perspective applies to all aspects of life, including parenting and daily responsibilities. - Embracing gratitude can reduce suffering and enhance presence in everyday activities. ## Transcript [[0:00]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=0s) [Music] the parenting junkie hey guys welcome back to the parenting junkie the place to go to love parenting and for parenting from love if you think other parents could benefit from this type of content please give this video a thumbs up and please subscribe to the channel here on YouTube today I wanted to share just a kind of stream of thought that I've been having recently and you know I think there's often cases in life where [[0:26]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=26s) a micro situation the way that we experience and handle a specific scenario reflect broadly on how we handle our life in general and our approach to life and our values and our worldview so today I want to ask you how you wash dishes I know it's a strange question but bear with me for one moment washing dishes is pretty universal most of us have to do it at some point or other throughout the day most of us need [[0:58]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=58s) to get it done and how we approach washing dishes can inform us a ton on how we approach our life you know we typically don't think of washing dishes as a great pastime we think of it as a waste of time we think of it as a chore and a chore I mean something negative that we have to do but grudgingly we think of it as work we think of it as something that happens to us like oh no [[1:25]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=85s) the sink is part with dishes again and it's a burden on us we think of washing dishes as the drudgery of daily life that there's no escaping and we have to get through we also think of it as a class issue right if you have more resources perhaps someone else washes your dishes for you or perhaps you have a high-end dishwasher that you use so there are various ways of understanding this washing dishes but what I wanted to share with you is [[1:55]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=115s) that we could approach washing dishes very differently right we could see it as a blessing as an opportunity to stop and think we could think of how grateful we are to have the dishes we could think of the millennia of history of craftsmanship of all the different people and disciplines and development that it took to make dishes the way they are made to be we could really [[2:26]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=146s) appreciate the quality or the form or the design or the aesthetics of the dishes that we're washing we could think of how amazing is that we have these dishes and think of the plethora of choice that we had when it came to choosing these dishes how many amazing dishes were available to us and that we could afford them and how many many people throughout the world today and throughout history don't have any dishes we could think about the running water [[2:56]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=176s) and how grateful we had to have running water that's clean enough to wash dishes with not to mention a drink we could think about the soap and the amazing chemical and scientific advancements that have happened in the world that have created this organic dish soap or the amazing technology of the dishwasher and how its freed up time for us or done a more effective job and how lucky we are to have one of those things if we [[3:26]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=206s) have one we could think about our deep gratitude that we have the shifts to wash because we had food to eat and our children and ourselves ate that food and enjoyed it on these dishes just take a moment to reflect on the magnitude of that that we have to wash dishes two three four times a day means that we have meals two three four times a day we [[3:57]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=237s) could enjoy the sensory experience of the water on our fingers we could enjoy the visual experience of the splashes and the glistening we could sit in awe and gratitude that our hands work that we have two hands and that they can wash dishes that we can do it for ourselves and that we have that level of agility and independence we can think of how grateful we are to have the time to wash dishes that we can care for our home for [[4:28]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=268s) our little sacred temple where we live and eat and how simply wonderful it is that we're able to look after this sanctuary we could be putting on music and dancing as we wash dishes or simply washing the dishes with mindfulness we could be washing the dishes with our toddler standing at our side and enjoying the suds and splashing each other's noses washing the dishes can be a great joy and a great privilege if we so choose it now this kind of choice [[5:00]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=300s) that we have really is true of everything in life we can choose this gratefulness with changing a diaper with getting up in the middle of the night to feed our children with our workplace with our other relationships really with anything that we have to do so my question for you today is how do you approach washi dishes do we have to always think this way when we wash the dishes No and is it absolutely legitimate to hire someone else to do it [[5:28]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=328s) to use the dishwasher or to decide we're not doing it today and we're letting the sink pile up yes absolutely the point that I'm trying to make here is only this that everything that we do can be experienced on the sensory spiritual emotional level that brings us great joy gratitude or at the very least presence and neutrality it doesn't have to be a burden or tour unless we allow it to be we can't suffer from washing dishes and [[6:01]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=361s) as we give our consent to suffer and as we decide to think of it as something to suffer for and this is the same for raising their children you can think about how difficult it is and about how hard you have it you can think about how challenging they are or how imperfect it is or of all the stresses that you have in your life or you can sometimes for just a moment shift it around and see [[6:26]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=386s) that there's a completely other narrative just waiting to be explored and I felt by you there is no wrong in thinking about the hardships and there is no wrong in thinking that these things are a chore or a burden it's not wrong but it leads to greater suffering and I know which approach I would prefer if you think this video might help other parents please give it a thumbs up press subscribe here on YouTube if you're looking for a supportive [[6:54]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgriG4WlPM&t=414s) community of like-minded parents I warmly invite you to join our love parenting with abital Facebook group plus head on over to the parenting junkie comm and sign up for email updates so I can give you my free pdf guide ten easy steps to transform your home into a play inducing haven keep on loving parenting and parenting from love because your kids need you almost as much as you need [Music]