Today is International Day of Peace 2016.
Peace.
What a , , , , word.
Peace, to me, is one of the most important aspects of life that I wish to instill into my children’s hearts, souls, and their everyday lives.
Countless, endless ways.
Easier said than done, but anything worth doing tends be that way.
Kind words shared between parents or caregivers, especially when feelings may be heated.
Taking deep breaths as often as possible.
Going outside as a family, as a classroom, as a community. Feeling the grounding certainty of earth beneath your feet, and the breeze across your face.
Saying "I love you". Listing the reasons why.
Smiling. You know, the kind of smile that reaches the eyes. :)
Schools in which educators are building communities of kindness, inclusion, and belonging-where all kids feel safe to share their heart, passion, and feelings.
Admitting, as a society, that nobody is perfect. We are unique in our imperfections. It's OK to make mistakes. "Try your best, and forget about the rest."
Love. Love hard. Love unconditionally. Teach self-love, which can be so hard.
Acceptance. Accept children for their strengths, their areas of difficulty. Build on those strengths, and use that knowledge to help develop those areas of difficulty.
Find your own peace. It's a journey. It may change weekly, monthly, or even day-to-day. Yet, it is only then that you can affect change in your children.
Lauren Brukner is a Senior Occupational Therapist and published author who lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children, ages 8, 7, and 5. She currently works as a Senior Occupational Therapist and evaluator in the NYC Department of Education. Lauren is a published author with Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and has appeared as a guest on The Autism Show, The Manhattan Neighborhood Network's School-Home Connection, and The Matt Townsend Show. Her books have been listed as resources on websites such as Real Simple Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Psych Central, Marie Claire, Everyday Health, AOL's Health and Wellness, MSN Health, Mothering.com, About.com, InOurHands.com, and Friendship Circle, as well as numerous school district curricula around the world. Her second book recently won the Mom's Choice Award-gold seal. Lauren specializes in sensory integration and self-regulation strategies for children and young people, and their implementation in home, school, and community settings. She holds advanced training and certification in Integrated Listening Systems, and is a Certified Screener for Irlen Syndrome/Scotopic Sensitivity. Lauren is the author of The Kids' Guide to Staying Awesome and In Control and How to Be a Superhero Called Self-Control, both published by JKP. She is the author of Stay Cool and in Control with the Keep-Calm Guru, due out this September (also with JKP). She is also a contributing author to Huffington Post and Autism Parenting Magazine, and blogs at www.awesomeandincontrol.com.