Why I'm teaching my son to meditate

It was my fifth-grade teacher, Sister Patricia, who first introduced me to meditation. She guided the whole class in a session where our focus was on God. A few years later my high school creative writing teacher would also use meditation in the classroom -- this time, to unlock our creativity. I latched on to this practice as a resource for me. As a teenager I tried to duplicate what my creative writing teacher showed us in the classroom. I practice regularly as an adult, especially when I'm feeling stressed or my chronic illness delivers me a painful day. It was particularly helpful during a recent hourlong MRI testing session.

Perhaps this is why when my 7-year-old son woke up with nightmares, I instinctively offered him a guided meditation.

"I'm tired but I'm afraid to go back to sleep," he cried.

I took his hand in mine and told him to try and only listen to my voice. I asked him to pay attention to his breaths in and out, to feel the pillow beneath his head and let his body sink into the bed knowing he was safe and loved and home. It was slow and repetitive, but he drifted off to sleep in a few minutes.

Mindfulness and meditation are not just for grown-ups. Studies have shown that children who learn to practice mindfulness and meditation can better regulate their emotions. It leads to improved psychological functioning and lower levels of post-traumatic stress disorder. It can help lower a child's blood pressure and heart rate.

The Cleveland Clinic reports that in a world where screens entertain and capture our attention, it can be hard to find the calm in our daily storms. Meditation can help us be less reactive and more methodical as we move through our emotions. As we learn to ground ourselves with mindfulness and meditation, it can help us learn to be more observant in our daily lives, observant of what's going on around us but also observant of how we're feeling and truly pinpoint our emotions. This in turn helps us articulate those feelings in our relationships.

Most nights my son and I read together before bed. After a book, I sing him songs to lull him to sleep. But he's getting older, and the songs don't always happen the way they used to. The day after my son's nightmares, we settled into our nightly routine of reading just like always. Except this time after we read, he asked if we could do a meditation together instead of songs. "I really like how it helped me forget about other things and just fall asleep," he said. I love that he was able to focus on his breathing and drift off.

This is a wonderful, unexpected evolution in our evenings. Our bedtime routine is such a special time to slow down and put the day to rest. I'm grateful he saw value in meditation, and I hope he holds on to this skill. I know it will serve him well.