Our world is different and our kids certainly are too, but are we evolving our parenting to suit the new world we are living in or are we simply repeating the cycle that our parents and their parents followed that suited their world?
Change is not easy, it challenges every belief you have and forces you to change behaviours that you may have had for most of your life. You raised your first child in one way and then you have a second child and suddenly it's not the same. Parenting pushes us into constant evolution of our beliefs on life, love and everything else, and then to top it all in 2020 - we had to evolve again into a new world without any fair warning.
We are now in 2021 and many parents are still clinging onto the hope that the new world is temporary and that soon things will go back to the normal we all knew (and maybe loved). The problem with this thinking is that we don't learn to navigate our current experiences and we consistently live wishing the time away so we can just get back to what we used to know. Our mental health and that of our children is also affected daily whether we admit it or not.
As a parenting coach my purpose is to give you tools for navigating these times and in transitioning into the different phases and stages of your parenting journey.
What you can do today:
Reflect on your day and your experiences and know that your feelings are valid. Journalling is a powerful tool to use in order to release everything on your mind before you go to bed.
Your child is experiencing transition just like you so listen to your child and be present with what they are experiencing. Presence is a gift that you give to your child.
Make time for self care and yes I said MAKE TIME. We will always find something else that we need to do and something that is "more important" than taking some time for yourself, but the reality is that anything you do, even parenting with a cup that is empty does not give off the best version of you. I promise, self care is not selfish, its necessary for your mental health.
Your marriage, relationship and friendships will look different in each parenting transition and this is completely normal. Communication is key in moving through each stage of your parenting journey and seeking help earlier rather than when things are at breaking point.
Join me on Yoga Mama's new series of talks on Facebook and Instagram live called "Navigating Parenthood" and lets manage these parenting transitions together.
Much love,
Tara
