Peaceful Piggies

Have you heard of the toys called, "Fidget Spinners?" If you are not in the kid realm, I'll clue you in. "Fidget spinners" are small, ball-bearing devices that the user can rotate between his or her fingers. The momentum of the toy provides a pleasing sensory experience  Originally the spinners were marketed as an aide for individuals with anxiety, autism or ADHD, which is basically everyone. I don't know about you, but few people I know are free from anxiety these days.

What a GREAT marketing strategy~!

My son William, who just turned 8 years old at the end of June, desperately wanted a spinner. "ALL," the kids at school have them he said, and besides he thought they looked so cool. I resisted buying him one for the longest time. Ever since our last BIG garage sale two years ago, when we did a mass de-clutter, and I started on a more minimalist path, I've been REALLY trying to be mindful of what we purchase.

Another thing that influenced me/us, was that we had walked this path with our older children. I remember the Bay blade craze and the mad scramble one Christmas for one type of Lego, Bionicle figure. I knew that it was only a matter of weeks that this toy too would start collecting dust in the corner of a closet and I would be the one to unearth it and in time, decide it's value and where it was to go after my son stopped playing with it.

What made me cave was my son William. When his birthday drew near we had a conversation about what he wanted to do on his special day and what he would really like for a gift. He looked at me with his clear blue eyes, his blonde curls circling his sweet face and he said, "mom, whatever you get me, I will love."

Ahhhhhhhhh!

That was it, I was going to make his dreams come true. I was going to find him a fidget spinner.

William's face as he unwrapped his fidget spinner (and we bought him the fidget cube too) was ecstatic For the next two weeks, that red, spinning toy was always at the end of his finger. I would try to talk with him and he would be totally absorbed in the activity of flicking his finger so his spinner would move faster.

We choose experiences over a big party with friends and he wanted to go climbing walls with his sisters

Our son is always reaching new heights

After the climbing party, it was a dip in the pool,

And now for his strawberry shortbread birthday cake...Will LOVES strawberries!!!

"This was the BEST day EVER!!!" said Will at the end of his 8th birthday

One night I came into his bedroom after he had been tucked away for the night and a brilliant spinning rainbow filled light was floating in the dark. Rats, I knew we shouldn't have bought the one with a LED light inside so not only was he obsessed during the day, the fidget spinner was keeping him from sleeping at night.

Now for some children this toy may be fine but I found it was a distraction in our home and instead of helping him focus, he seemed more scattered. and even restless, moving his body, as he spun. When we were talking to him, he would be flicking his spinner and there would be no eye contact. Also, I found he was getting annoyed more often, especially if he was directed to do something and he had to put the spinner down.

I decided to sit down and have a talk with him. He was surprised to hear that I thought the spinner had negative effects on him. Reluctantly, he agreed to take a break from it for awhile. He put it in one of the drawers in his room and agreed to spend more time playing his cello, reading, playing basketball,  board games and card games with his sisters, swimming in the pool, riding bikes and his new scooter, which was the other gift we gave him for his birthday. 

Shortly after that, we picked up a wonderful book at the library that we had read last winter but I never acted on it. It always surprises me how things and people are put on our path,exactly when they are needed. "Peaceful Piggy", by Kerry Lee Mclean, is a lovely story about little pigs who find life sometimes too busy and stressful.  When the little piggies starts to sit and focus on their breathing, they suddenly find they are more relaxed and feel calmer.

They are smiling.

The kids loved the book and also wanted to try the experiment suggested at the end of the book. We got a big pickle jar and filled it with water. We watched how clear and clean it was in the jar.

Looking at the clear water, I got them to think of it as their mind, during a quiet moment.

Then I had them add a bit of sand from their sandbox. Each tiny grain is one of our thoughts. Some are happy, some are sad, some are exciting, and some are dark and angry thoughts. They all effect how we feel.

Then we put a lid on the jar and shook it up and watched everything swirling around faster and faster. I told them that this was their mind in a hurry. It doesn't look too good; muddy and cloudy. Then we let everything settle to the bottom of the jar. This is our mind during meditation.

We watched the thoughts settle to the bottom, leaving the jar, (our mind) look lighter and clearer. I told them that when we settle our thoughts during meditation, all the yucky parts of our day fall to the bottom and we can move through our days with clearer thinking and feeling lighter. Feeling lighter helps us move through our days more peacefully and we are able to flow through our challenging times and adjust to life's changes easier.

After that exercise, we practiced meditating together. It was fun. We lit a candle and I put a soft CD on and rang a little bell. I asked the kids to focus on their breath, in and out, slowly, s l o w l y. When thoughts come to the surface I suggested the kids shift them out of the way by saying a mantra; the one I suggested is "So Hum,"  which means "I am," in Sanskrit.

At the end of the session, I had the children join together in making a wish and at the count of three, blow out the candle together. The next day after lunch they asked, "is it time to meditate?"

Since then there have been wonderful spin offs, no pun intended after talking about the fidget spinner, but when my children have a frustrating moment, or get angry about something, all I have to do is say, "So Hum," and they stop and take a deep, slow breathe. When they slow down they are able to look at the situation and how they are reacting to it. What an amazing gift! Also, the look on William's face AFTER his first meditation sessions, relaxed and serene was the answer I had been looking for.

Now I don't want to bash the fidget spinner, used for short sessions, it's fun and teaches kids about physics etc, but what I discovered was that instead of us filling our kids lives with a kaleidoscope of  spinning activities, maybe just sitting and breathing is one of the best activities we can encourage them to do this summer.



Be still,

And know,

I AM.


I think teaching children that they are powerful beings, (So hum) is sustainable and that is really what this blog is about.(Helping Our Planet Earth) I want my kids to feel like they have total control over how they view their world and their choices they make on their path.

The quote I started this blog post with is, "If every eight year old is taught meditation in the world, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation." ~Dalai Lama~

Well I have an eight year old, AND my greatest wish FOR HIM, is that there is peace in the world.

While I want my children well educated, and to develop talents and gifts that will build their self confidence, I think the most important thing I could ever give them is a light illuminating a path to themselves. The bread crumbs to their soul is their breath. So I don't know about you, but that fidget spinner is staying in the drawer this summer, and the kids and the kids and I am going to be still together and breathe.

The benefits of meditation for children are HUGE. And this quote from an article called, "Five Reasons Children need to meditate." says it all. "Did you know that regular practice of meditation has several beneficial effects on our children’s emotional, mental and intellectual development? Yes, it helps children tune into themselves, sleep better and develop better social interactions."  

What is funny to me about this is, if it cost something, maybe we would put more value in it. If we had to stand in line to get it, we would desire it more and if it was hard to find, we would all want it. But, the amazing thing is it is free for all of us. It's easy, obtainable, and something we all have access to. I don't know about you, but I want THAT for my kids;

 Peace of mind, peace in the world.

Thankfully summer is the perfect time to introduce such a practice.

Want to join us?

If you would like to listen to the "Peaceful Piggy," story I found a Youtube video which I have linked below. If you have a little one in your life, watch it with them and ask them to sit with you for a few minutes, focus on their breath and find a mantra that works for you. .

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and be a peaceful piggy too.

Blessings from
   Hope