What if the conditions aren’t right, right now?

Welcome to snowflake hell. It started out well. It started out with a good deal. I LOVE a good deal and thrifting is something I relish. We have an excellent charity shop nearby that gets in a wide array of wonderful items; from clothing with French labels, designer jackets to a stunning book selection. A
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10 years a Mom

My firstborn turned ten yesterday.

It hit with a wave of emotions. A total tidal wave. The words haven’t fully come in yet but here goes. Joy, sadness, disbelief, trepidation, awe, fear, relief, hope, wonder. Feelings that have filled my whole self to the tips of my fingers down to my toes.

I have a decade under my belt as a parent. Five years anchored as a parent at home, primary point person for our children and household.

Ten years and I’m in constant learning mode.

Ten years have shown me where my blind spots are and if I’m willing to shine a light on them.

Ten years of giving it my best shot, screwing up, looking for the lesson, creating room to change.

Then beginning again. And again. And AGAIN.

[…]

How do I deal with stress?

I learned to practice on myself something I already knew.

Tuning in.

As a Mom I’m trained in tuning in to the needs of my family. From knowing what foods they’re eating or not eating to noticing and looking for the signs when they need a hug, a place to run or time with friends.

I have an acute tuning system into understanding when they’re hungry after the intense training of having a newborn (twice) who needed to eat every two hours, and then, once in a while on no apparent schedule, they’d cluster feed for forever. My tuning adapts and changes as they change. I expect it now. Currently, with a nine and a five year old I’ve begun to look forward to what might happen next. How are they going to show up today?

[…]

Creating the space for change

I’ve learned something important.
Important things usually seem so obvious after I’ve learned them.
Believing in and practicing this has made a significant difference in how I have changed over the last few years.
We have all the tools inside of us for whatever we need in life.
That’s it.
When someone treats us as
Less than
Incapable
Without
They don’t honor or respect what each and every one of us is capable of.

[…]