31 Days of Mindful Parenting: Day 5

When we are being judgmental, we are critical of small things, finding fault with another person or group of people, situation or idea someone has. This is different from making judgments or decisions. (For additional reading, see here). Not judging oneself or others is not easy. However, bringing awareness to judgment itself allows us to recognize just how often we do it. Judging often comes with name calling (e.g., “I’m such a fool for forgetting this!” “My child is so messy.” or “Sally’s mother is really nailing this pandemic parenting thing.” (Sorry - no one is excelling in the area of pandemic parenting). So, when you catch yourself judging (start with yourself, you may notice it more often), pause…and then see if you can just describe what is happening without judgment. For example, instead of “I’m so forgetful!” try “An appointment was missed and needs to be rescheduled. Forgetfulness happens.” It may make it a little easier to remember that you’re human.