Enlightened Parenting is a coaching practice developed by Ellen F. Gottlieb intended to teach parents and caregivers how to raise their children more effectively. She teaches specific, counter-intuitive strategies about how to interact with children in each moment in order to foster deeper connections and help them to realize their authentic potential. She advocates walking the parent/child path i
n a true partnership, rather than a hierarchy. It is both a simple and a complex practice. Unlike other approaches, this approach teaches parents how to raise their children more mindfully. The potential benefits can be measured as parents witness the growth of self-confident children who steer themselves toward wiser and safer choices, and who remain true to themselves as they navigate their developmental stages. The souls of our children are in our charge. The basis of this coaching paradigm is that we can raise our children to become more confident, competent adults by surrendering our illusory sense of power and control over them. In so doing, we must realize that connection and containment, rather than discipline and rules, are the essential elements of enlightened parenting. Our children are our greatest teachers. They allow us to witness our own unhealthy, deeply entrenched patterns of behavior and offer us the opportunity to shift those behaviors. As we raise our children, they help us to grow ourselves up. Ellen has developed strategies to help parents engage with their children in ways that foster deep connection rather than resistance, tranquility rather than chaos, and responsibility rather than blame, shame and self-criticism. Our children are not our trophies. Once we accept that, we can witness their unfolding, and by extension, our own. The key is not merely to raise, but to elevate our children to be their best selves through counter-intuitive parenting techniques that can be taught and implemented over time with patience and practice. Our children will learn that life can be enjoyed, not merely endured; that our true passions can be nurtured rather than ignored; and that process rather than outcome can truly feed our souls.
