TLDR: any mindfulness programmes/ ideas you’ve tried consistently with a 9 year old?
I have a real difficulty with instilling habits - my own or anyone else’s. So although I’ve had lots of books, read quite a few websites, even been on a course (work related), I haven’t been able to consistently try this at home.
One of my dc, I think, really needs something like this. He has always been very anxious, finds it hard to settle to an activity (unless it’s TV), worries a lot about people pleasing/ getting ‘into trouble’ (he doesn’t!). Yesterday, on a trip out, he cried and told me he thought he was ‘the worst person in the world’ because ‘I can only think about the bad things like going home at the end, or wishing x was here, not about the nice bits now’.
He talks about the future or the past all the time. Wanting to plan his birthday six months away, or wanting to remember things we did last year. I talk about these with him to an extent, but they do feel excessive.
I can’t always plan like he wants. I’ve had ‘so what are we doing today?’ many times this morning and it’s actually a ‘nothing’ day in which I have the post-Christmas chores. I will try to involve him in some of it.
Anyway my point is, I think he needs help to learn to ‘be in the moment’ and think mindfulness would be really helpful. I haven’t been able to get into this myself although I do daily yoga. It doesn’t work for us to do this togeher as it’s really my only time to do something alone.
Any tried and tested suggestions? Thank you.