Re-Opening Our Child's Eye
   As parenthood unfolds, and one comes to understand more about the ways in which young children develop, you will discover that they do have a very different way of seeing things to adults. It is not just naivety or ignorance which causes these perceptions, because so many of their observations are tinged with wisdom which we adults have long forgotten but so frequently long for. As you listen to their experiences and try to appreciate their way of perceiving the world, your own child-ness may return. And of course this is not a bad thing, as it makes for better understanding of their world and therefore better communications with them. And as you are reminded of life through a child's eyes, much of its beauty and simplicity will return to your everyday experiences. Conversely, having a child's view of things can also help to show us the overly gross and complex nature of so much of man's creation which so often bombards and overwhelms us. Responding to such realisations, rather than just ignoring or dismissing them as childish, is important to our growth as parents, and helps us create a better world in which they might live.
   We redevelop this seeing ability by re-awakening our "child's eye". The child's eye is in fact the pineal gland and its yogic counterpart Ajna Chakra. This is a tiny pea-sized gland deep in the brain which is known to function most highly during childhood and which is said to atrophy from around the time of puberty when the pituitary function begins to take over. It is the pineal gland which allows human beings the psychic faculties of inner vision, imagination, telepathic communication, intuition and perception of things non-physical. Yoga teaches that the pineal gland should not be allowed to close off at puberty and should be kept open all throughout one's life, to work in conjunction with the pituitary gland, rather than be replaced by it. This can be achieved by many methods, the most effective of which are pranayamas and meditation which work on the glandular system via the eyebrow centre. By marrying the "childhood" brain functions with the "adulthood" brain functions, a more complete human being is produced.

The Here and Now
   Every parent watches for their baby's mile-stones - that first smile, first step, first word, and so on. These are events which the child reaches in his own good time, assisted by the love and attention you give him as he grows. It can be easy to fall into setting standards and goals for

our children, to compare them to other kids, and to see such milestones as markers of parental success (or failure). But goals and milestones and developmental benchmarks can also be a trap for trying to accelerate childhood development, by thinking that extra stimulation, extra attention, extra effort might produce an above average child. Attachment to progress can cause parents to become anxious for the next phase to begin, because they worry their child might have developmental problems.
   All these concerns are best managed with the old adage - "Be Here Now". This means to simply appreciate where your child is at now, because that is right for them. It means to fully share in their seemingly insignificant play, games, communications. This involvement allows us to fully appreciate the beauty of their natural development without instilling in them any neuroses about achieving and attaining, being somewhere else, being somewhere further than they are.
   On the one hand there can be fantasising about the future, particularly when caught up in the day to day hassles of a young baby. For example - "When he's 9 months old, he will be able to get about himself, and that will be better"; "I am looking forward to when he can feed himself, because then I will be free to eat my own meal in peace". Be careful never to wish away the present, because firstly such mindsets can prolong the discomfort, and secondly because, before you know it, your baby will be grown up and your memories of his past will all be a fuzzy haze of dissatisfactions rather than celebrations.
   On the other hand, there can be obsessive attachment to the present. Constant photogra-phy or videoing of their every action and achievement can, along with a constant revisiting of these mementoes long after they have passed, keep a child and their parents trapped in the past.

Witnessing and Guiding
   Often, in the minefield of parental life, it can be hard to know whether to just let things unfold or whether to step in and assist the child in their development. This is a very common quandary which exists from age zero all the way up to their adulthood! Sometimes we believe that a child will just grow out of a phase if just left alone. At other times we worry that if left alone, a situation or a behaviour will become a chronic pattern. On such occasions there can be no blanket solutions, no textbook answers, and the best result can only come about through the exercise of a healthy intuition.