Coparenting and parenting are extremely similar, however, coparenting has been made into a separate group because there are additional issues that come with coparenting.  A coparent is an additional adult (related or not) that is present in a child's life.  Mindful coparenting focused more around the relationship between each "parent," by allowing them to be more open and less judgmental of the other parents' style.  

Coparenting and Mindfulness

Mindfulness can impact being an educator in different ways:
- Professional teacher development
- Working in special education

Educator groups

While parents are often the primary caregivers, a caregiver is anyone that helps an individual with day-to-day tasks.  Caregiving relationships outside of the traditional married mother-father relationship include:
- Coparenting
- Educators

University of California, Davis

Through mindfulness practices, parents are able to not only improve their own health and deal with the stress of being a parent but also improve their relationship with their children.  With their parents learning mindfulness practices, children are able to form more secure attachment styles and improve their own behavior.

Mindfulness in Parents

Roeser, R.W., Skinner, E., Beers, J, & Jennings, P.A. (2012). Mindfulness training and teachers' professional development: An emerging area of research and practice. Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), 167-173. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2012.00238.x

Mindfulness Training and Teachers' Professional Development

Benn, R., Akiva, T., Arel, S., & Roeser, R. W. (2012). Mindfulness training effects for parents and educators of children with special needs. Developmental Psychology, 48(5), 1476–1487. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027537

Mindfulness training effects for parents and educators of children with special needs.

A mother's ability to regulate and appropriately respond to their child's needs  helps create a healthy mother-child attachment and helps the child grow developmentally.  Mindfulness has helped mothers navigate the stressors of parenthood and through them learning mindfulness techniques, they were able to change the behavior of their children through affect regulation. It is important to note that while the focus is on mothers, father-child attachment is important too.

How Mindfulness as a Parent Can Change Attachment

The MBCP program is based off of the popular Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.  MBCP is specific to all things parenthood as it uses mindfulness-based practices through pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenting to promote a healthy family life.

Mindfulness-Based Parenthood and Parenting - The MBCP Program

Studies have supported the idea that mindfulness-based interventions can reduce stress and increase social support in and between immigrant families.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions Amongst Immigrant Parents

Caregiving

Parenting or caring for children with: 
- Special Needs 
- Autism

Taking Care of Children with Additional Needs

- Dismissive (Avoidant) Attachment
- Fearful -Avoidant (Disorganized) Attachment
- Preoccupied (Anxious) Attachment
- Secure attachment 


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