From Wherever You Go, There You Are,  
by Job Kabbat-Zinn 
 
Of course, you are your child's major life teachers as much as they are your teachers, and how you take on this role will make a big difference in their lives as well as in your own. I see parenting as extended but temporary guardianship. When we think of them as "our" children, or "my" children, and start relating to them as our proper possessions to shape and control to satisfy our own needs, we are, I believe, in deep trouble. Like it or not, children are and will always be their own beings; but they need great love and guidance to come to full humanness. A proper guardian or guide needs wisdom and patience in abundance to pass on what is most important to the generation coming along the path. Some - myself included - need almost constant mindfulness in addition to our basic instincts for nurturing and loving and kindness in order to do this job well... Some people who find meditation valuable in their own lives are sorely tempted to teach their children to meditate. This could be a big mistake. To my mind, the best way to impart wisdom, meditation, or anything else to your children, especially when they are young, is to live it yourself, embody what you most want to impart, and keep your mouth shut.