So often we get caught up in the idea that we need to ‘go big’ in our time spent with our children. We book tickets, cram outings with as many stops as possible, and still wonder if we are doing ‘enough’.
What’s next - who is ready, you or they?
Our children have their own timetable for development. If we trust their inbuilt timing, we can resist the urge to ‘teach’, intervene, coax and prompt. We can instead put our energies into observing, noticing, appreciating and celebrating. Our focus moves to looking at what our child CAN do instead of what they can’t (yet).
Connect now - show an interest and lay the path
Our children are people too - choosing kindness
Happiness is homemade - you need to make it happen
Trust or rescue? - do you 'spot' them or 'stop' them?
Me too!
Be real! - model who you want your children to be
Perhaps the most influential tool we have in our parenting kit is our own example. Our children take far more from how they see us living, than from any advice we give them. How we interact, approach tasks, and manage our emotions all provide ‘lessons’ for our children. They notice these things, whether we wish them or not, and build them into their own default settings.
Be kind to yourself - ignore your 'to-do's', and notice your 'ta-dah's'
Soul food - 'me time' that lifts the soul
"Me time" is lauded as a parent saviour, the key to ensuring that Mama mental health in particular, is given some priority.
At face value it seems like a great concept, this 'time out'. In actual fact, this apportioned time can exasperate the feelings of loneliness, overwhelm and endless giving we are trying to escape from.