Growing up in the United States it’s uncommon to find grandparents living at home. Yes, they do exist here and there and out of all my friends, and people I knew, there were only two households that were multigenerational. The rest were all what we would consider a nuclear family, mom and dad and one or two children.
Before I go further, I want to state that all families that
are built on love, trust and safety are wonderful. What I will bring forward here are some of
the advantages of living in a multigenerational home.
Weddings and engagement celebrations as well as funerial
services also oftentimes occur in the home as well.
What does this have to do with mindfulness?
A lot.
Being around people doesn’t allow for the sense of loneliness
or isolation to take hold. It’s not that there isn’t any peace and quiet at
home, there is, but a sense of responsibly to caring for relatives and the home
doesn’t allow for unhealthy mindsets to take root.
Younger children learn a sense of community and boundaries as
well. I all my years and travels I have yet to see a ‘tantrum’. Now, again, I’m
not saying tantrums don’t happen, but they must not be as common as one may
expect.
My latest travel was to Cambodia where I witnessed and participated
in a funeral service. The body, as well as all of the religious traditions,
were observed in the home. When the grandfather passed away, the body wasn’t taken
away. Instead, it was lovingly prepared at home where it remained for about 5
days until the actual burial.
In Western society a lot of this is hidden away from young
children. As such, when death of a cherished loved one does happen, feelings
are not well addressed or handled. Parents often feel the need to ‘protect’
them from natural phenomena not realizing death also comes to the young as
well.
This is an important lesson in mindfulness, being aware of
and addressing hard feelings appropriately. And the earlier we teach children
and young adults how to address these hard feelings with love and compassion
instead of with fear and unskillful responses, the better off they will be when
they reach adulthood.
Sathu. Sathu. Sathu.
Buddham Saranam Gacchami
Vladimir warmly and skillfully passes on the Buddhas Dharma to a world in need of loving-kindness, compassion, and empathy for the benefit of all living beings.
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