[dECLAN]

My wife and I had a rare night out last night and left our two young children with their grandpa for the night. We awoke to a very quiet house and for some reason the absence of my children got me thinking about how I parent. Perhaps it was the fact that a lot of parenting is really done on autopilot.

I do spend a lot of time with my older daughter talking about God and other things of a spiritual nature. She is just at the age where she understands these things and we often have very enlightening talks.

Occasionally I may ask her question like where flowers get their color from or how she thinks she came into the world. I am always filled with wonder and amazement at her answers.

I suppose I wanted to ask the question of other parents about conscious parenting and any realizations you received through your children.