I am married to an incredible, beautiful tender man, with 3 amazing beautiful children that I am forever appreciative of. What we share as a family reflects to me the importance of expression and communication, for what we share is a result of us all feeling supported in a space where we can share what we feel without holding onto or bottling things up, where we are able to work on not judging each other and on exposing any ideals or beliefs around how we think a true family should be or look.

Universal Medicine has played a huge role in my life: I have been attending Universal Medicine presentations, courses, retreats and having sessions with Esoteric Practitioner Association (EPA)* approved Practitioners, including Serge Benhayon, for 17 years.

During that 17 years my life has changed enormously: I have gone from drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, smoking marijuana, being extremely ill, having absolutely no vitality and being majorly underweight to being and feeling alive, vital, healthy, no longer moody or needing any form of stimulant to get me through the day. My weight has been stable for the past few years, I wake up looking forward to the day, eating in a way that truly supports me – not eating to hide or dull myself – and it has been all of this which has enabled me to parent my children in a way that offers true support. I know that without the changes and choices I have made and continue to make for myself, my parenting would be extremely different and certainly not as loving as what it is today.

My life was previously one of constant chaos and overwhelm, mostly due to, actually all due to, the choices I was making, however today my life is completely the opposite of that, in which I take responsibility for each and every choice that impacts on my health and well-being and all my relationships. As stated, Serge Benhayon and his family, together with Universal Medicine and its presentations and practitioners, have been a huge part of how I am now­, and without what was offered to me I do not feel I would be the woman or parent that I am today. The changes in my own life and how I now live with this deep sense of regard for myself have allowed me to bring a deeper regard to my whole family, including how I parent my three children.

How my husband and myself parent our children is loving, nurturing and with understanding. We are not perfect and neither are our children, however they are deeply loved and it is because of the love we hold ourselves in and correspondingly the love we are then able to hold them in, that we are choosing to raise them in the way we do. The love we all share as a family (and with others) has grown immeasurably as a result of how our love has deepened from all we have learnt through Universal Medicine.

We made the choice to parent our children as opposed to raising them; to parent them in a way that truly encourages them to live all that they are without the ideals and beliefs of how we think they or their lives should be; to understand that we do not own our children and that we are simply custodians of them, sharing with them a way of life that is true.

For us a big part of living a life that is true is to support the body to be light – not feel weighed down, bloated, imposed upon by outside stimulants or distractions – consistently feeling what is needed next, establishing and building routines and rhythms that encourage us to feel and care for our own bodies, whether that may be what time we go to bed, the types of foods we eat, the hobbies we may have, and being open to share and express what we are feeling.

Neither my partner nor myself eat dairy, gluten, wheat, yeast or sugar, nor do we use any stimulants like caffeine. Our diet has refined over the years as we have individually felt to, each at different times omitting different foods and introducing others: for our children it has been no different, now being that we all eat the same foods. None of our children have ever been fed dairy, gluten, wheat, yeast or sugar, a choice we made after making adjustments to our own diets and feeling the benefits and true vitality that came from not eating foods that contain these ingredients.

At no time have our children been malnourished, underweight or overweight; they are the weight their body needs for them to be themselves in life, to live who they are without feeling stimulated, anxious or overwhelmed from foods they may have consumed. Therefore, because of the choices we have made for ourselves and for them, they are not seeking stimulation or comfort in food; they are not standing in front of the refrigerator or pantry looking for something to fill an emptiness or void within them, they are not wanting to snack constantly throughout the day, neither are they seeking comfort in distractions outside of themselves such as television, iPads or computers. We use computers and iPads for educational purposes rather than as a tool for babysitting, or a way for them to avoid, bury or hide from what they may be feeling or what is going on around them.

Making the choice to parent our children has been a constant, forever unfolding path, one that we are always adjusting and discussing as a family. We make choices that consider us all as a whole, and the foods we eat, the hobbies and distractions we may choose – no matter how insignificant we feel them to be – have an impact on the entire home and everyone in it. The way we live in our home does not just affect us, but affects everyone around us – both directly and indirectly in the home and outside of our home – and when we step out of our front door we take these choices and our way of life to all of humanity: it is this responsibility we have to consider when we are parenting our children.

Our children are an absolute pleasure to have, be around and parent; we are offered an opportunity to forever observe what they need, where they need support and what we can do to encourage them in their own evolution.

As a family we live in a quality and a way that consistently reflects to each other that there is always more, that there are always others that are affected and impacted by the way we live, and that we all have a responsibility to live in a way that is true and considers everyone equally also.

With this choice there is no time off, there is no self, life is not just about you, everything you do and say has a knock-on effect, it affects the all.

Life for our children is about living, enjoying and loving who they are, knowing it is ok for them to be who they are, to express what they feel without holding back in any way, learning how to be themselves and to nurture and love others, without judgement, criticism or comparison. They love to play, laugh, sing, dance, connect with others and be in nature. Our children are all born gentle, loving, tender and precious, and why should any of that change as they begin to grow and become young adults? All children should be supported to love, honour, appreciate and accept themselves for the incredible gentle beings they are.

Our children have their moments as do any of us; no one is perfect, nor do we expect them to be, but we do provide boundaries and consistency, and in the love they feel it does not take much for them to come back to themselves and leave their tantrums behind.

The way we choose to parent our children I know for many raises eyebrows, but with that comes an understanding and an appreciation; others get to know us and our children, and from that they gain a greater awareness of the love and quality in which we live and the love and quality in which we parent our children.

Yes, our children eat a diet that may seem limited to outside observers, but it is limited to healthy and nutritious foods – with no junk food – and our children thrive. Yes, they do not watch television or sit for hours aimlessly in front of a computer or on an iPad, and yes they have routines and rhythms; they have conversations with us about what they are feeling, and we have family meetings to share what we feel is needed next for the family as a whole, what is supportive and what is not. What can be observed is that they are some of the most joy-full children I have ever seen, and this is not limited to my personal experience but from what is shared with me from teachers at their school, day care, friends’ parents and passers-by in shops and supermarkets.

I am so very blessed to have such a joy-full glorious, amazingly loving family, a family that is deepening and developing in so many ways.

Our children are forever a point of reflection, and they are always teaching and calling for me to live all that I am, and in that livingness they can also live all that they are.

So, call Universal Medicine whatever you like, I know in my heart The Way of The Livingness is the only way, and our family lives, breathes and is True Religion.

Serge Benhayon, thank you for being the ever-shining reflection and love that you are; it is with this reflection and inspiration in my life that I love and am all that I am.

By Nicole Serafin, 44 yrs, Wife, Mother Hairdresser, Tintenbar NSW

* The EPA (Esoteric Practitioners Association) is the internal accreditation arm of Universal Medicine. It was instigated by Universal Medicine to monitor and accredit the modalities that were founded by Universal Medicine. 

Related Reading:
~ Building True Relationships and Positive Parenting
~ The Purpose of Parenting