“She’s viciously swearing, venomously shouting horrible things” I explain to my Listening Partner. I am relating the story of my morning; a repetitive recurring interaction between me and my 6 year old daughter. I am talking to my Listening Partner – an acquaintance I speak with weekly. We’ve agreed to give each other 10 minutes
It was Friday, the last working day in a long week and frustrating things just kept happening. Some were to do with my family – like my son refusing to do his homework and some were to do with me – like not being able to publish my articles sooner. The need to cry and release
If you could have a break from parenting, what would it look like? “I imagined myself taking this long, unhurried walk by myself. I made up the scene as it came into my mind: How I would find this one, perfect quiet spot, and just sit there, noticing everything around me.”
A guest post by Skye Munro of Nurturing Connections Recently I had the privilege of sharing my passion for connected parenting with over 200 Early Childhood professionals. But right until they entered the room I was plagued with a case of the ‘What if’s”… What if I forget what I want to say?
How do you feel when your children say, “Play with me!” Are you filled with excitement and joy, and rush over, saying, “Yes, of course!” If this is the case every time, then you don’t need to read this post. ?
When we were young there was little understanding of the importance of listening to children with warmth and patience, so our parents couldn’t give us a model of how to do this. Our unheard feelings from our own childhood get triggered in challenging moments with our children.
Sometimes all it takes to lift your partner’s spirits is to really focus on them and just listen. A few minutes turned this dad’s day into a playful connection with his kids.
My Sunday started in the usual way with some gentle time snuggling with my two children as we woke up. It was all fine until breakfast when the warm connection started to unravel. My son wanted scrambled eggs, my daughter cereal. “That’s ok,” I thought, easy to do. Until my daughter had her breakfast in
Setting a limit at bedtime can bring up big feelings for children. Holding the limit, while making room to also hear the feelings is a challenge, but it builds a child’s confidence and connection with you.
I’ve found the last week quite hard. It could be the transition from having my partner around every day over Christmas and New year to being alone again with my daughter. The weather’s been wet and we’ve been home a lot just the two of us. I’ve struggled to be playful and give my daughter
a guest post by Hannah Gauri Ma In trying to decide on a pre-school for my then 3-year-old I was feeling very torn. I had narrowed down my search to two co-op preschools in my area. There was the one my daughter, had already been in for the last year. It was very close to
The other morning I woke up feeling low. I have a problem with the circulation in my legs, and the pain had been bothering me a lot recently. I tended to numb my feelings, eating chocolate, or having some caffeine, but I didn’t like the side effect of feeling edgy and finding it hard to
I had never yelled at my son, aged five, until recently when he started yelling at me. The first time he did it, I was immediately triggered. I don’t remember what I’d said, but he responded with a loud, angry, “ALL RIGHT, FINE!!!”
My 10 yr old son and I can both be hot tempered, and I am a single parent. There is not another adult around to help me re-group, but there is always a listening partner, or at least their voice mail, just a phone call away.
As I was crying the pain began to release in my tooth and by the end I didn’t feel any pain at all. The next day it was also better but it was apparent I still needed to go to the dentist because the tooth needed attention.
I was feeling tight and cranky in my parenting. I knew I needed to think about setting limits on screen time, and my impulse was to grab the iPad out of my son’s hands and stomp on it. I was not thinking well!!
I’m the mom of a young son, who has been my greatest teacher in life and has guided me to my deepest passion, parenting! My work in Theater from the time I was a little girl up until now pairs beautifully with my work today. I’m passionate about helping parents connect with their children and
When you let your feelings show, say your truth or just blast out the tirade that may be brewing inside, you release the emotional tension built up around a problem or conflict.