Ed. Note: The following is a KHTS Feature story based on a recent radio interview with Alex Urbina.

What does conscious parenting mean to you and your children? Santa Clarita life coach Alex Urbina talked about a few ways you can help your kids shine on the latest episode of KHTS AM-1220’s “My Conscious Dad.”

Truly conscious parents will notice how authentic, powerful, loving and vulnerable their children are naturally, Urbina said, and sometimes the best thing parents can do for their kids is to simply step aside.

Santa Clarita Life Coach Alex Urbina

“We as parents, I think, are in the way of our kids shining,” he explained. “Once you start to realize that and you get it to a whole other level, you’ll start to back off and create the space, the environment, for (them) to shine.”

Children who are constantly surrounded by powerful or strong personalities may often find their own light overshadowed, but if given the chance to stand on their own will usually rise to the occasion.

Related: Overcoming Your Fear Of Confrontation With Santa Clarita Life Coach Alex Urbina

To do this, parents should create a safe and loving environment and briefly remind their children who they are from time to time, being sure to “step out of the way” not long after, according to Urbina.

“Kids respond,” he said. “When you give them that opportunity, they will respond.”

A big part of creating the home environment needed for a child to feel comfortable letting their light shine is making sure they are supported and accepted by their parents.

For example, accept those qualities that makes your child quirky or unique rather than correcting them to be what you think they should be, Urbina said.

“If it’s that you like to crack jokes or you say awkward things in awkward times, that’s just who you are,” he explained. “I get to learn how to love certain things about you rather than saying stop doing this, stop doing that.”

While what Urbina called “course corrections” are still necessary by parents from time to time, he clarified that there are healthy ways of going about it without making the child feel stifled or suppressed.

“Rather than saying ‘stop doing this,’ it’s maybe opening up a discussion and asking some powerful questions so that they can come to the conclusion of what kind of course correction they need to make for themselves,” he said.

The reality that parents can sometimes stop their own children from shining can be tough to hear, but Urbina encouraged Santa Clarita’s parents to step out of their comfort zones for the benefit of their kids.

“Being uncomfortable, which is outside your comfort zone, is where growth happens,” he said. “You can’t want to grow and be a better father or be a better parent and expect for it to just be easy… It takes a rigorous commitment to being outside your comfort zone.”

KHTS Feature Story

Santa Clarita life coach Alex Urbina is one of the leading experts on teen, parent and family relationships. Specializing in personal transformation, Urbina has 20 years of experience as a life coach in Santa Clarita. His Life Leadership Training programs are being implemented in schools, youth organizations and transformational centers across the country, helping empower people to realize their full potential. “My Conscious Dad”, hosted by Urbina and his daughter, Jazmine Urbina, helps listeners consider new possibilities they couldn’t see before. The show airs on Fridays at 1 p.m. on KHTS AM-1220.