sundays
my whole life really all about freedom + holiness trying to find both in the little moments of everyday life the kind of freedom + holiness where every cell every fiber of your being tells you you belong + we're all one people yup freedom + holiness like that in and of your soul sunday mornings the time of my mama we'd listen to blue moon cafe on the radio driving in the country hills the adirondack mts anywhere that would take us to water creeks, lakes, rivers where we found our freedom we were both early morning risers as grownups she'd sip coffee me tea we'd catch up with the old + the new of our lives sunday mornings always holy to me a gift of another 7 days of life freedom in new beginnings growing up catholic sundays always had holy intention but we'd only go to church sometimes so was sunday still holy if we didn't make it to church back then we didn't talk about holiness found in trees + creeks in conversations with your mama before the rest of the world awakes but now i know sundays are for holiness + freedom found everywhere most importantly in your own heart when life circled me back around to my relationship with God divinity found in the sacred heart of Mother sunday mornings i'd go hear my teacher a sweet monk from India speak i'd eat Indian food he made with love like a mother cooks for her children in the lineage that brought Yoga to the west i found true freedom + holiness connecting us all now sunday mornings i write my sunday message to you because i know holiness + freedom live in this little window of time this morning i was driving with my son & our 6 year old little friend who loves to sing this song came on sunday morning brunch i've always loved the words tears flowed like the creeks of my childhood sweet + pure see my mama she's been trying to reach me sending telegrams of the heart for a long while like showing up in a dream of one my best friends since i was three because a ways back i closed my mama's heavenly door it hurt too much who has time to mourn when there's a world to change plus i was mad at her still for trying to make me the parent when i was a kid for not protecting me as a kid i know it's silly to still be mad at my dead mama time for me to grow up but trauma hurts deep in my heart i always know my mama's always with me from the spirit world to fix what was broken to heal the past in ways she couldn't when she was alive so i open the door to her again the light shines in of holiness + freedom in the sun of forgiveness her message for me my sunday messages of freedom + holiness to make life ok worth living even when it's hard to find peace + empowerment in the moments of everyday life to remind you you're here for a reason freedom is yours holiness is your birthright to uplift + inspire you as you begin your week so you feel blessed to be alive to always remember you are the blessing
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you know those times you're at... a birthday party school event or even the grocery store and your kids pick that moment to act up to do the very behavior that you're at a loss for how to guide testing your parenting skills in front of a room full of people is fun right? of course kids are just being kids it's up to us how we respond of course yet "mis"behaving children in public is one of those parental nightmares none of us are immune to we can all relate to this dilemma the illusion of the "perfect parent" crumbling away before our very eyes because our children "made us look bad" plagues us all and guess what? there's no such thing as a perfect parent or a perfect child we all mess up and unfortunately sometimes it will be in public when we can give ourselves + our kids that grace to be human we can let go of... embarrassment anger or resentment with our children and instead we can be ready to support the embracing of imperfections first in ourselves then in our fellow parents + children so we all learn and grow together but misbehaving kids in public wow.oh.wow. it's not easy so here's some tips + tools to stay calm + empowered: #1 know + trust in your heart that we ALL experience parenting challenges every.single.parent on planet earth no parent is ever off the hook with parenting challenges we all experience them why? because the essence of parenting isn't saying or doing the "right thing" but rather parenting is designed to help us grow both individually and collectively as a human race in order to grow + evolve we have to mess up our mistakes are the road to growth embracing our imperfections leads to self-acceptance + ultimately makes our lives easier because we're not judging ourselves with every move + every second in a day #2 check those basic needs meet the need preventatively to transform the misbehavior Hungry Angry (positive outlets to express high emotions) Lonely (connection to self + others) Tired Sick/ Stressed these basic needs when they are unmet are the root cause of "mis"behavior both ours + our children's one of the best ways to avoid parental embarrassment in public is to make sure those basic needs are met! bring well-fed + well-rested children to the grocery store if your grade schooler had birthday cake but no lunch + is way party over-stimulated watch out meeting those basic needs preventatively is always best but not always humanely possible at the least anticipate when problem behavior may begin + try to may a graceful exit before it does #3 take space away from watching eyes to remind your child of expectations it's hard to parent when there's performance pressure because other people are watching take the pressure off you + your kiddos by speaking to your children alone or in a different room when they need reminders it might not always be possible to take this time alone with your child but if it's easy to do definitely take this space alone with your child #4 support other parents we all know what it feels like to struggle as a parent in public so let's keep our eyes out for one another when you see a parent having a hard time offer them an empathetic smile or even a helping hand let them know you've been there too + it's all ok because.... we're all human learning + growing from our mistakes and helping one another in the process we support you p.s Heart-felt thanks to everyone who scheduled their 20 minute complementary coaching call. It's been a joy to speak with you all! I hope the positive parenting tools are most helpful to your family. And please remember: when you share your challenges it helps uplift others. This is the power of community. If you haven't had a change to schedule your session here, please reply to this email right away to make sure your spot is saved.
p.s.s. When I'm done with all 20 of the complementary coaching calls, I'll be compiling parents' favorite tools in a free webinar... stay tuned for more details! the goal in positive discipline is to make your life easier + more enjoyable so you love the marathon of your life + parenting while also teaching valuable life skills to your children in parenting + in life it's easy for the negative to hijack the positive misbehavior stress + challenges can easily take over like in this negative cycle of saying no to your children -> power struggles ensuing -> then giving in + saying yes this is definitely not a "feel good" cycle and it's one of the most common negative cycles in parenting most of us can relate to here's some tips to transform this cycle so when your children make requests you feel like the calm + confident leader in your family or classroom you are here to be 1. Press pause and breathe very often our children have a sense of urgency in their requests - which can make us feel pressured to respond immediately - in reality there usually is no rush so 3 deep breathes helps everyone slow down so you can think proactively 2. Affirm what your child says this is one of my favorite tools to help children feel heard and to "buy us more time" to formulate our decision Example: "I hear that you really want _____. " (the toy, screen time, dessert, etc.) 3. Get clear on your answer: Once you've slowed down the moment and affirmed your children, it's time to decide if the answer is: yes, no, or maybe -> If your answer is yes: that's usually the easiest although it may be helpful to set the parameters... "Ok that sounds good and remember to...." "Sure, that's fine and in ___ minutes it will be time to ___." -> if your answer is "no:" this is one of my favorite tools "i love you and the answer is no" if your answer is no, it can be helpful to let your children know in a kind way: "my answer is the same no matter how much you ask" also letting your children know that it's ok to be disappointed is an essential life lesson in positive discipline we talk about building children's "disappointment muscles" giving your children permission to be upset/ cry/ feel sad or disappointed is very empowering "it's ok to feel upset/sad or disappointed" (but be good to yourself and don't practice this tool of developing disappointment muscles in your children when you are tired, hungry or stressed) -> if your answer is maybe: this is usually the hardest scenario and the one that takes quick thinking some questions to help your decision-making: * is saying yes/no going to hurt anyone? * is saying yes/no going to make my life easier/harder in the longer run? * is saying yes/no teaching something negative? * is there any real reason to say no? i hope you enjoyed these tips to transform the "no" -> power struggle -> "yes" cycle in parenting so you feel like the calm + confident leader in your family you're here to be whether it's individualized support to bring this tool alive in your home or extra support with a current parenting challenge every parent deserves individualized support to give back to our community for a limited time only i'm offering complementary 20 minute coaching sessions Have a wonderful week!every time i have the honor of presenting at a conference i'm on cloud 9 for days after like i feel right now after yesterday's conference because i'm over the top inspired by all of you every single parent + educator who calls this community your positive parenting home because you are over the top amazing what you do everyday to create a better world for our children because you're real life is perfect i think for like 5 minute every day lol the rest is full of work + challenges together we're doing it doing what we could never do alone growing our community is truly my greatest joy which you might already know :) but here's something you might not know... i also get over the top nervous before every single conference ssssooo nervous it's such an odd irony to me because the day before a conference i'm SO stressed pretty much until i am open my mouth to start the workshop then i love every single minute of our time together and i go home beyond inspired and excited about the work we do together this irony always reminds me something i wish someone told me when i was younger.... whether it's... giving birth raising children overcoming adversity finishing a degree running a marathon just about anything we feel truly proud of + is our calling in life takes work + is hard so for you dear friends as you begin your week please do remember: you are the change we are the change and it's not easy work but the good things in life are worth it way worth it over the top worth it and we support you |
Mama Megan
Hi friends, I write from the heart to tell my life story, and the story of those in my neighborhood called life. Research shows that our children's emotional & mental health is contingent upon us parents being able to tell our life story, or "coherent narrative." This is my coherent narrative, my life story in the making, with some of what I love in life too. My goal is to share my life in a way that is real, uplifting & positive- sometimes serious, sometimes fun. In my practice, I inspire parents to empowerment through reclaiming our life stories and learning respectful discipline. My work is my offering to our children- our future. Wishing you all a happy family! Archives
May 2021
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