I had such a wonderful conversation with Empowerment Coach Gaelen Poage about what it means to show up as our authentic human selves- especially as parents. Every episode of his podcast Not Lost in the Crowd has inspired me and I am honored to be a part of it.
For more tips on raising grateful children, read Gifts & Gratitude: Helping Children Appreciate The Holiday Season.
Many of us can’t wait for the holidays. We imagine lazing around with family, drinking hot cocoa and kids content to play all day, needing nothing but their new toys. In reality, we often find ourselves frantically finishing holiday shopping while wrapping up work projects before the kids are out of school for two weeks. Not to mention packing for travel or rearranging the house to accommodate in-laws. Alas, it seems that sometimes our fantasy does not align with reality.
Back in 2005, author Ayelet Waldman proclaimed boldly that she loved her husband more than she loved her children in a New York Times article. This announcement seemed to strike a nerve, with quick reactions in the media that she must be an unfit mother and shouldn’t have had children to begin with. Waldman remained undeterred, however, and stated that the best foundation she could give her children was a strong partnership with their father. Whether you share Ms. Waldman’s feelings or not, she can be applauded for beginning a conversation and for shaking up our expectations of what kind of partnerships best serve both parents and children.
Check out the Spring Edition of Compass Positive Discipline Magazine. It's packed with 40 pages of tips from the top Positive Discipline writers and bloggers!
