tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78718232496834699282024-03-05T13:19:50.582-08:00Consciously ParentingScience + Intuition = Consciously ParentingRebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-42119239319201065932017-02-04T12:34:00.001-08:002017-02-04T14:32:15.816-08:00"You don’t have to answer me, but I’m happy to listen if you’d like to share." Teaching your kids the art of self-reflection<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve been
talking about staying connected with our kids as they grow in my parenting support <a href="http://class.consciouslyparentingacademy.com/consciously-parenting-teens-tweens/" target="_blank">classes for parents of teens and tweens.</a> Parents want to <span style="font-size: 12pt;">support their growing kids to become interdependent adults who are aware of themselves and their needs and
are aware of others around them. </span></div>
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You know, we want to raise the kid who notices when your
hands are full and it might be helpful for him to hold the door open for you or
to grab a bag to help? Or the ones who can take responsibility for their own choices.</div>
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Self-reflection gets the ball rolling. When they can
connect with how it feels for them, they can connect with how it might feel for
someone else. When they notice what something is like for them, they're more likely to ask what needs to happen next or what they can change.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>But how do we get started?</b></div>
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The tips below are especially important
as kids enter middle childhood, pre-adolescence and teen years, but you can
practice when they’re little, too. <b>Especially number one!!</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3iPxkLU2-nBfnqevNGNFGfyP4R5jghglZnJ_kWbSe6G9oJ8JmJ6mAJTXI2G4hHzU_4oF0SLQIKGXFrnGXwROMlqd0YjXppJjUB5NqiD8nnENMrozyZ62EjGZePYNdlI6NteuY8fQuLHW/s1600/Woman+reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3iPxkLU2-nBfnqevNGNFGfyP4R5jghglZnJ_kWbSe6G9oJ8JmJ6mAJTXI2G4hHzU_4oF0SLQIKGXFrnGXwROMlqd0YjXppJjUB5NqiD8nnENMrozyZ62EjGZePYNdlI6NteuY8fQuLHW/s320/Woman+reading.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Flickr, Seattle Municipal Archives</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Start with you</b>. This ability to self-reflect,
to know what one needs, starts with us and then with our relationship with our
kids. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Start with yourself.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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I asked my parents in the last round of support classes to
self-reflect and share what they noticed about themselves. These were actual
examples parents shared in our classes last month:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I stayed up too late playing on Facebook and now I’m tired
today.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I ate potato chips and chocolate for lunch and now I am
having difficulty focusing.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(That one
was mine…lol. Similar ones were shared by the parents in the class.)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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“I went to a Kickboxing class and feel so energized today!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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"I had some alone time to actually read a book today! Ahhhh... I needed that."</div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6VbNOuSywVcdJWdMe9KQPVU-ye4-1PCJf6bKccghOaOc-ctjKMKD4rkmmSwvjum-fXCftlB4PuvgZ6nOsqdru8E8ZlO0UFxgrCMEOZZYcPqvpigm7dlxnlfQDyf-YfcN_K6BCvEeyLGb/s1600/Heart+parenting+pixabay+free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6VbNOuSywVcdJWdMe9KQPVU-ye4-1PCJf6bKccghOaOc-ctjKMKD4rkmmSwvjum-fXCftlB4PuvgZ6nOsqdru8E8ZlO0UFxgrCMEOZZYcPqvpigm7dlxnlfQDyf-YfcN_K6BCvEeyLGb/s400/Heart+parenting+pixabay+free.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Pixabay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></i></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Share
what you observe about yourself with your kids.</b> As we, as parents, begin to
pay attention to what makes us feel good and not so good, we can share that
with our kids out loud. As you begin to share those things out loud, your kids
will naturally start considering them, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">especially
if there isn’t any pressure from you.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Just share what you notice about yourself with your kids in
casual conversation. Share when it worked for you (“I feel so great after I
went for a run this morning!”) and when it didn’t (“I didn’t get outside
yesterday at all and I’m noticing I have less energy today.”).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fdpWAZyNDZX8ygbLiMBzMofv8vnx2rt6ICtgUtVhUCPLGmFTAX0bTXlTwqtmeBfm9JOJftGu7SC6VltueXcaoc3T_gYiA77voT-YTbTpCwChS1rIhlsp6MXjsNWYymvYNYC95JvBmcqW/s1600/pexels-photo-father+son.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fdpWAZyNDZX8ygbLiMBzMofv8vnx2rt6ICtgUtVhUCPLGmFTAX0bTXlTwqtmeBfm9JOJftGu7SC6VltueXcaoc3T_gYiA77voT-YTbTpCwChS1rIhlsp6MXjsNWYymvYNYC95JvBmcqW/s320/pexels-photo-father+son.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Pexels<br />
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<b style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">3.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><b style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Begin asking your kids what things feel
like for them.</b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Don’t expect them to answer, but be open to a conversation
if they’d like to share. The key here is to help them to learn for themselves
when something is working for them and when it’s not working, rather than
having you or another outside force make that decision for them. Try questions
like these:</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /> </o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I wonder what it
feels like for you when you stay up too late at night? How do you feel the next
day? You don’t have to answer me, but I’m happy to listen if you’d like to
share.” <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I noticed you had a
hard time getting to sleep last night. Did anything you did or didn’t do
earlier in the day make it harder to get to sleep? I know sometimes when I have
a hard day, I didn’t get enough exercise, or I’m thinking about something that
happened earlier that I have a hard time falling asleep. You don’t have to
answer me, but I’m happy to listen if you’d like to share.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Kids need to learn to pay attention to themselves so they
can learn what they need, but they <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">need
us to start asking those questions without the expectation of an answer.</b>
This isn’t telling them that they stayed up too late and now you’re grounding
them. This is encouraging them to become responsible for themselves by
connecting with themselves. That’s a totally different thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We want them to be responsible, empathetic and observant. We
want our kids to get to know themselves. For some kids (and adults), knowing
what things are like for them and what they need is brand new. Take some time and play with it for yourself in your own life.
Introduce the idea to your kids and encourage them to notice things about
themselves and see what happens.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’d love to hear what you notice when you start paying more
attention to this for yourself and for them. What happens? How does it feel? Do
you notice your kids taking more responsibility? Please share!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><b>More parenting support classes are starting soon! We're running a class for <a href="http://class.consciouslyparentingacademy.com/consciously-parenting-couples/" target="_blank">Consciously Parenting Couples </a>(to help parents stay connected as partners), <a href="http://class.consciouslyparentingacademy.com/consciously-parenting-children-special-needs/" target="_blank">Consciously Parenting Children with Special Needs</a>, and another class for parents with <a href="http://class.consciouslyparentingacademy.com/consciously-parenting-5-9rs/" target="_blank">kiddos between the ages of 5-9</a>. Classes start the week of Monday, Feb. 6! As of this writing, only 3 spots remain in each class. Click each class name above for more information and to join!</b></i></div>
Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-47850535234700091122016-12-14T15:02:00.000-08:002016-12-14T15:02:43.355-08:00The Dance of Independence with Our Kids; Tween and Teen Support Classes Information<br data-cke-eol="1" />
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We all want our kids to grow up to be as independent as possible, right? As the mother of two boys, who are now somehow almost 18 and just turned 13, I know it is on my mind quite a lot. <strong>Did you know that the independence our kids show as older kids and teens starts when they're babies?</strong> Even in the womb? And the foundation of independence is actually dependence and interdependence? Let me explain.</div>
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As I'm sure you probably already know, young children need a strong connection and lots of time and energy on the part of their parents. <b>It is appropriate developmentally for young children to be fully dependent, even if our culture suggests otherwise.</b> </div>
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To take it a step further, the relationship between parent and child is really <b><i>inter-dependent </i></b>because it is a relationship with rich communication between both parents and child, beginning even before birth. Spending the time to be present in all ways (not perfectly or every minute, but being "present enough") and care for them is truly an investment in their social, emotional, and future mental health. All children need to have a strong bond with at least one adult. We know this connection makes all the difference. Children need to be seen, heard, and felt, as Ray Castellino states about babies. It's really what we <em><strong>all</strong></em> need.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYo32rlLcixGaM4lSESYHY-5J0I-VRNt1lXlFa9J6Hi_U_VXH93SygGTlFDddJgZLXHtRnKSqB4hXvVIAELosdG80JsyVrt2j7qUAJUK229ndpPZ7E3zpOXYRleKuQGZeDvlZEaVVNnVa/s1600/mama+and+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYo32rlLcixGaM4lSESYHY-5J0I-VRNt1lXlFa9J6Hi_U_VXH93SygGTlFDddJgZLXHtRnKSqB4hXvVIAELosdG80JsyVrt2j7qUAJUK229ndpPZ7E3zpOXYRleKuQGZeDvlZEaVVNnVa/s1600/mama+and+baby.jpg" /></a></div>
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What happened in their early years becomes especially important as children reach the pre-teen and teen years. This is the time when children still need to be connected, still need to have parents who are invested in them, but are ready for more independence in a series of forward and backward steps. They're still very much inter-dependent, just in new ways.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLhWqtI1im6LhqfJcAap8MINm2JRfAQPrJ9cWUm8tAWV6zs0I4rRcY2HglGTnZ8SYQEzDoonrC0O_oPePxVpGq-5sJpBW8tt4bPZ9YutYmt9NSSRLAmN5q7PhvzK1wWoyRSxl8UmIu4La/s1600/Kids+on+beach+at+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLhWqtI1im6LhqfJcAap8MINm2JRfAQPrJ9cWUm8tAWV6zs0I4rRcY2HglGTnZ8SYQEzDoonrC0O_oPePxVpGq-5sJpBW8tt4bPZ9YutYmt9NSSRLAmN5q7PhvzK1wWoyRSxl8UmIu4La/s320/Kids+on+beach+at+sunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Laurel Perry,
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.capturinglavita.com/">http://www.capturinglavita.com</a></span></div>
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But this is the part that can be really tricky for us as parents. <i>How much is too much decision-making for these older, yet still young, kids? How much isn't enough? What about sleep and technology? What about their education? Helping around the house? Their relationships with their friends? How do we foster inter-dependence here? </i><b>They're not the only one in the family, so it can't just be whatever they want to do and disregarding everyone else's needs.</b></div>
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The answer comes out of our relationship, of how well we know our kids and the strength of our bond, as we head into adolescence together. We are the ones who know our children and can encourage them as we see they are ready for another step without pushing too much (our agenda). <strong>When we can really see who they are and where they are, putting our own ideas aside, we can guide them to take the steps they're ready to take.</strong></div>
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<strong>Here's a personal story from my own family, including a picture taken from that same day.</strong></div>
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When my youngest was 8, we moved to a new condo complex. There were many buildings and lots of places to get lost, so for a little while, he wouldn't venture out on his own past the hallway in front of our apartment. I respected that we had just moved and also that he is my kid who tends to be directionally challenged anyway, so I watched and waited, encouraged and connected. We talked about how to get different places each time we went out together (scaffolding- giving him a structure upon which to learn) and I let him know that he would know when he was ready and knew where to go.</div>
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One evening, I was down at sunset inside the complex with some friends and he called me from the apartment phone to say that he was going to walk down by himself. About 5 minutes later, he was there, full of pride at what he had accomplished. We took this picture as he paused and took in the sunset after his walk down on his own. He was 9 by this time and he was ready for this step in his independence.</div>
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But pay attention to something here. Just like when toddlers are exploring a new environment, they need to go out into the world and then come back to check in with us again. They move away, then move closer together to connect. The same happens as our kids grow. We're still their touch-point, their secure base, ideally. My son explored on his own and connected back in with me when he reached his destination.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAm-xpJLVFTFvdTbLJagxdc9VHHU2IfRs9uYsJZgQf-L9BmkDONxKRQY-hV8ErAOrlWj_E2hz13cLNqZUiwX-wwKlDCGuSVPAgTtIhcnumvif8xKTe0lYDMYxYR1KIfjRe_rQiSDISaSxK/s1600/Josh+at+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAm-xpJLVFTFvdTbLJagxdc9VHHU2IfRs9uYsJZgQf-L9BmkDONxKRQY-hV8ErAOrlWj_E2hz13cLNqZUiwX-wwKlDCGuSVPAgTtIhcnumvif8xKTe0lYDMYxYR1KIfjRe_rQiSDISaSxK/s400/Josh+at+sunset.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Tra Hitt http://trapixweb.com</td></tr>
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<strong>Learning how to support your children toward independence is a dance of moving away and coming back together, much like when they first learned to walk.</strong> Sometimes it is difficult or scary to watch them move away with the potential for getting hurt (whether it is with friendships, the possibility of getting physically hurt or emotionally hurt, or making mistakes that might have long term consequences). We want to protect our kids AND we need to help them learn to trust themselves, and to protect themselves, at age appropriate and developmentally appropriate times.</div>
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Many parents have been asking for more support in parenting with attachment in mind with their older kids, so I am setting up some online virtual parenting support classes for parents with children between the ages of 9 and 19 (ish) who want some support in finding their way with their kids.</div>
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Class sizes are limited to 8 families AND I'm doing something a little different with registration for this class based on your feedback. You get to "pay-what-you-can," starting as low as $10/class! </div>
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<b><a href="http://class.consciouslyparentingacademy.com/consciously-parenting-teens-tweens/" target="_blank">Get more information about Teens and Tweens classes for parents HERE.</a></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://class.consciouslyparentingacademy.com/consciously-parenting-teens-tweens/" target="_blank">Tell Me More about the Tweens and Teens Classes!</a></td></tr>
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<strong>P.S. If you're an Academy member, these courses are included in your membership. No need to sign up. You'll be receiving an email invitation in your monthly newsletter.</strong></div>
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<strong>P.S.S. More classes are coming for parents of toddlers and preschoolers, and early elementary-aged, too. Watch your email for more information and dates soon</strong></div>
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Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-45307254868629087682015-01-02T12:59:00.000-08:002015-01-05T10:28:35.881-08:00"Christmas Vacation" meets "It's a Wonderful Life" or How Christmas Didn't Crash and Burn<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Happy New Year! </b></h2>
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<b>What's on your heart and mind as the new year begins?</b></h3>
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Were your holidays peaceful and loving? Or a chaotic? Or full of family drama? I'd love to hear!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLxFagzYmRyGNpCokcBPlP7KrbHNNKYCVHRrNulK7NbHEs3H86KBmuVtdJFm38ghvDd6F-yZj8N9UNhI4NUGQGPhEQREHcsjmvFZAqzAiXttlHC7CoXfscgQdba4Pk-Wgzo-BRblEzpAK/s1600/522869_10150791467882117_1537226798_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLxFagzYmRyGNpCokcBPlP7KrbHNNKYCVHRrNulK7NbHEs3H86KBmuVtdJFm38ghvDd6F-yZj8N9UNhI4NUGQGPhEQREHcsjmvFZAqzAiXttlHC7CoXfscgQdba4Pk-Wgzo-BRblEzpAK/s1600/522869_10150791467882117_1537226798_n.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>Did you ever see the movie Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase? There are several scenes where Chevy is very frustrated and upset. He kicks and beats up plastic reindeer from his front yard. He cuts down a tree from his front yard with a chain saw to replace the one burned down by his elderly relative.<br />
<br />
Mine wasn't quite that bad, but I was worried for a while. Christmas Eve was so much like my own childhood Christmases, which were a bit like Christmas Vacation.
Chaos. Emotional spewings. Blah. This year, things fell apart all over a present my youngest son got from his dad, a boat that he could play with in our pool. It was a hobby remote control speed boat, which apparently had some problems. First minute in the water and it lost a propeller. All the tiny little pieces fell to the bottom of the pool. The pieces were too small to see or to pick up with the net, so my 11 year old had to go into the cold pool and find the tiny pieces in the dark. He insisted. (I suggested a level head, daylight, and some sleep might help, but he didn't like that idea.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXh2HaxFUAgSBPs3Orcjxjqh55XkpWK_eOxc-WvzI2jk3UMLdheiCadj-hDWjkAVaGCRcdf319XGPoZuagVZNK43KhDrhFChyphenhyphenGisp-Oli-3MzAOWGceJS7RIOtgQkzWeGYis8PBCg1UW3/s1600/IMG_0740_2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXh2HaxFUAgSBPs3Orcjxjqh55XkpWK_eOxc-WvzI2jk3UMLdheiCadj-hDWjkAVaGCRcdf319XGPoZuagVZNK43KhDrhFChyphenhyphenGisp-Oli-3MzAOWGceJS7RIOtgQkzWeGYis8PBCg1UW3/s1600/IMG_0740_2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>An hour later, he finally found all the pieces and put the boat back together. My older son drove the boat to have a turn and it broke before it made it across the pool once. This is when the screaming started. Everything went downhill from here. No one handled it well. This is the part that reminded me of plastic reindeer flying through the air.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The thing that was so hard for me about this is that I grew up with chaos like this from my two younger brothers. Christmas was like this a lot. And I've worked really hard to have our holidays be very different. I was surrounded by friends and my partner who were there to help support my boys and me. That made all the difference. And our holiday wasn't ruined. In fact, when everyone did calm down, we were all able to reconnect. And Christmas Day was really great. It was a bit more like the ending of, "It's a Wonderful Life." That was a first for me.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Parenting consciously doesn't mean that everything is perfect all the time or that we always handle everything perfectly the first time. It's about recognizing when things are going down an undesired path, reconnecting with yourself and others who can support you so you can reconnect with your kids.</div>
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In the past, this would have ruined not only my day, but also my week. Instead, it helped me to see how far I've really come.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAi70QwSm9RTID4cpsOEk4loN0tCRRivAc7T5vgJW_tKewBr6-TsppRzdXMikWsOCaUj6f5nNDlcRus7MJ6vBj3qL3lgLys8RGwaUoNPNpd-1e4cC6Z__lBiwELU8cszD-LJlW0SG2CUZ3/s1600/notperfect.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAi70QwSm9RTID4cpsOEk4loN0tCRRivAc7T5vgJW_tKewBr6-TsppRzdXMikWsOCaUj6f5nNDlcRus7MJ6vBj3qL3lgLys8RGwaUoNPNpd-1e4cC6Z__lBiwELU8cszD-LJlW0SG2CUZ3/s1600/notperfect.png" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Would you like to learn more? </h3>
<ul>
<li><b>Ready to get unstuck? </b>Join me in my free webinar Wednesday, January 7. <a href="https://iheartparenting.clickfunnels.com/webinar-registration" target="_blank">Register here</a>. It's free.</li>
<li><b> </b><a href="https://iheartparenting.clickfunnels.com/squeeze-page1040741" target="_blank"><b>Download my free 3 Keys to Creating More Connection in Your Family here</b></a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Or join my upcoming <b><a href="https://iheartparenting.clickfunnels.com/sales-page1040751" target="_blank">Peace in the New Year e-course here.</a> </b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<a href="https://iheartparenting.clickfunnels.com/sales-page1040751" target="_blank"><img alt="https://iheartparenting.clickfunnels.com/sales-page1040751" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_bKURQZYGhUDx7KzQ9_cp5_TKr-nixORm6qGBvKhBdAT172MO-bu1ya4uoDJTJJOW2mwzfa-iTqBJ5lr2ZmH5jTsxrEOd9OXNI0qZBDQEC9cswIrW-J3Daiy0q3Oq-q_JDgi-zu-wBe4/s1600/pfny.png" height="140" width="640" /></a> Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-24447487823419640852014-11-07T20:17:00.001-08:002017-06-09T03:52:40.959-07:00When You're Feeling Disconnected From Your Child- 4 things you can do today to help<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hello! This post has moved to our website. </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">You can find it here: <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/4-things-when-disconnected/" style="color: #7ba2d3; text-decoration: none;">http://consciouslyparenting.com/4-things-when-disconnected/</a></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">See you there!</span><br />
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<br />Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-38351147524552249242014-11-04T05:10:00.000-08:002017-06-09T03:51:20.508-07:00Keeping it together... when we're angry or depressed... for the kids<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hello! This post has moved to our website. </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">You can find it here: <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/keeping-it-together/" style="color: #7ba2d3; text-decoration: none;">http://consciouslyparenting.com/keeping-it-together/</a></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">See you there!</span><br />
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Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-19835891125442275362014-11-03T14:45:00.000-08:002017-06-09T03:57:44.882-07:00On the day of candy<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hello! This post has moved to our website. </span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">You can find it here: <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/on-the-day-of-candy/" style="color: #7ba2d3; text-decoration: none;">http://consciouslyparenting.com/on-the-day-of-candy/</a></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.86px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">See you there!</span><br />
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Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-68470709034928287862014-10-29T21:19:00.000-07:002014-10-29T21:21:56.455-07:00"I'm here to bring hope," said my 10 year-old<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent the weekend thinking deeply about my life’s purpose,
immersed in Oprah’s Live the Life You Want weekend in Miami. I came home and
was sharing some of my experiences with a friend on the phone when I noticed my
son was listening intently. He’ll be 11 next month and has always been a deep
and sensitive soul, especially with me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was sharing that Oprah began with the words, “Why are you
here? What are you here to do in this life?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>My son looked into my eyes and said, “I know why I’m here.”</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I stopped my conversation. That’s the kind of thing that
completely gets your full attention as a parent. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I paused and said, “You do? Tell me why you are here.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>“I’m here to bring hope.”</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p>My heart swelled. What a statement for anyone, let alone a
10 year-old. I waited and he continued.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“When Jacob died, you needed hope. And when I was born, I
gave you hope. So I know I’m here to bring hope.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was conceived 5 months after my baby, Jacob, had died from a fatal
birth defect. I was ready to try again and I felt confident that things would
be ok this time around, yet I was still grieving. My whole world was shaken to
the core. I didn’t know how anyone could really recover from such a loss. I
felt like there would always be a giant gaping hole in my heart that would
never be better. I continued to do my own work before and during (and well
after) the pregnancy with him, but he certainly grew in the sadness I was
experiencing, along with the waves of fear that things might not be all right.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve talked about his birth. We’ve talked about the baby
brother he never knew who came before him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve talked about how much I wanted to have him and how
loved he was and always will be. But I had forgotten the story I had told him
about hope. But he hadn’t.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe it was Oprah this weekend who said, <i>“Hope is the
simple belief that things can change. Despair is that tomorrow will be another
version of today.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I needed things to change. I needed to believe my body could
have a healthy baby. I needed to know in my heart that I wouldn’t always be
shrouded in a cloud of grief. <b><i>I needed to see the beauty in every day moments.
</i></b>Honestly, it would have been easy to just have thrown my hands up in the air,
curled into a ball and never look up again- except that I had another child
already, a little boy who was 3 1/2 who needed me. And so I got up and made
breakfast instead of staying in bed on those cold Indiana winter days while it
rained or snowed or was just dark and grey outside. And, true to my nature, I searched for answers so
that tomorrow wouldn’t be the same as today. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These moments always contain choices. We can be defined by
the sadness of the story or the hope. We can allow something that happens to us
to be the reason we stop trying or the reason why we must propel ourselves
forward. Every situation, no matter how dire it seems, contains the opportunity for
defining ourselves and our path forward. And we have the opportunity with our
children to help them define their own stories as a hero’s journey, no matter
what happened by the stories we tell to them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We can rewrite those stories so that we are the hero. We can
rewrite those stories so that they define us in ways that help us to grow. And
we can begin doing that today.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I’m here to bring you hope. Hope for you. Hope for your
family. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>"Because it is always darkest before the dawn and the sun always rises." Oprah</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Sunrise pictures courtesy from my Facebook friends. Thanks all!</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise in Satellite Beach, FL, courtesy Kim Bannister</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HjOGiFwtco2WunAjfLwCTtJnBMenFUG9wk9t1ax0s0rLn1ES8G4ANU9PVLGdYGTLphVTPzy253vJ2jd0uxZPjjVXjWCQcR0xqtupR2W_1A5KKrGVXOJ6hz9oOm9htQRbQi-WIttwoumQ/s1600/Sunrise+Albuquerque,+NM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HjOGiFwtco2WunAjfLwCTtJnBMenFUG9wk9t1ax0s0rLn1ES8G4ANU9PVLGdYGTLphVTPzy253vJ2jd0uxZPjjVXjWCQcR0xqtupR2W_1A5KKrGVXOJ6hz9oOm9htQRbQi-WIttwoumQ/s1600/Sunrise+Albuquerque,+NM.jpg" height="292" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise over <span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-align: left;">Albuquerque, NM, courtesy of Deborah Barkoff</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVFL5CJaPS1rX822etcBu4YmAWs_117972FCrl0HPkQRiUeSD7nS0_Mb60ZeIa-mbbDrYHlsgqhKr8OPRlG6miagzBKEjpYOkHQ8JqbzqeqlEdC3pORwK7XSAxmKhPsFyvmRtq8LGoKWq/s1600/Sunrise+Clearwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVFL5CJaPS1rX822etcBu4YmAWs_117972FCrl0HPkQRiUeSD7nS0_Mb60ZeIa-mbbDrYHlsgqhKr8OPRlG6miagzBKEjpYOkHQ8JqbzqeqlEdC3pORwK7XSAxmKhPsFyvmRtq8LGoKWq/s1600/Sunrise+Clearwater.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise in Clearwater (entitled, When You Wake Up on Red!) courtesy of Susan Stroemel Graham</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguM4YIESCjCyXMbttNWx0ma3J7Q-0St8GFjLOpy3ual8lOQLtROolFcJ4becMXxjPi9vJbC0L7uieEPMNaDIN8MKlyLinmz0hJ391BG6HPPpw4hktHyj-LHiKkXXj11cC0avGIkcV_ir5l/s1600/Sunrise+NY+from+bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguM4YIESCjCyXMbttNWx0ma3J7Q-0St8GFjLOpy3ual8lOQLtROolFcJ4becMXxjPi9vJbC0L7uieEPMNaDIN8MKlyLinmz0hJ391BG6HPPpw4hktHyj-LHiKkXXj11cC0avGIkcV_ir5l/s1600/Sunrise+NY+from+bus.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise in NY from a bus, courtesy Clare Uppenbrink</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnpR1cjZIgSG3HUy7Dohw5BduIgnwbepR8CllSzwVn81Xcixe94AbQWuWfWNDpaRDWDVr0Rtn_4jOv714j9gu60iAfgEJxChElbsW7bgra2OqK5VqD_rBOqKU9ABsu_0XZJuK-YusrIus/s1600/Sunrise+Satellite+Beach+%232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnpR1cjZIgSG3HUy7Dohw5BduIgnwbepR8CllSzwVn81Xcixe94AbQWuWfWNDpaRDWDVr0Rtn_4jOv714j9gu60iAfgEJxChElbsW7bgra2OqK5VqD_rBOqKU9ABsu_0XZJuK-YusrIus/s1600/Sunrise+Satellite+Beach+%232.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise Satellite Beach, FL, courtesy of Kim Bannister</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlO5TbTwGw6upDvwIeig0YCfTNZkIpi2p2WItLFpwSkzJcroD_rgk2p_sdh_vMXadmxbFTa5P_SGJMmgN0Os0v5LrgWw9O0CMfbhzQ5xm1T0x9p99Q1v-MaHkbtEqV9BMHCI5UhOiuvv0R/s1600/photo+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlO5TbTwGw6upDvwIeig0YCfTNZkIpi2p2WItLFpwSkzJcroD_rgk2p_sdh_vMXadmxbFTa5P_SGJMmgN0Os0v5LrgWw9O0CMfbhzQ5xm1T0x9p99Q1v-MaHkbtEqV9BMHCI5UhOiuvv0R/s1600/photo+(9).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise Punta Gorda, FL, courtesy of Cecilia Wilhelm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_seKI2cywGM9dP4ThvZA8Wh149lt-fBwoe6PYJ_o-06eXeCYd47FhZkJuv8Pt3am6af3sfPU87e1RgZ-je6_5tGK-lmOcVstRSbYeMmgUQun5mf3swZa6BBLI8Vkh-nrtMmNpbqwGwdf/s1600/Sunrise+South+Nevada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_seKI2cywGM9dP4ThvZA8Wh149lt-fBwoe6PYJ_o-06eXeCYd47FhZkJuv8Pt3am6af3sfPU87e1RgZ-je6_5tGK-lmOcVstRSbYeMmgUQun5mf3swZa6BBLI8Vkh-nrtMmNpbqwGwdf/s1600/Sunrise+South+Nevada.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Nevada in August, courtesy Teresa Lewis Lass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><b>Want to connect more with me:</b></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><b>Phone, Skype or in-person sessions</b> in Palm Harbor, FL (email me at rebecca @ consciouslyparenting (dot) com without spaces and putting a period for the dot to make it a real email address.</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><b>You can also join my new <a href="http://tribe.consciouslyparentingacademy.com/subscriptions" target="_blank">Academy</a></b>, where you can find relationship-focused ways of solving your biggest parenting and relationship challenges, from <b>couples</b> to <b>conception</b> to <b>teens</b>, as well as those other decisions you need to make consciously for your family like <b>alternative health</b>, <b>conscious living</b>- schooling, minimalism, food, etc., and <b>special circumstances</b>, like loss, divorce, etc. Join us <a href="http://tribe.consciouslyparentingacademy.com/subscriptions" target="_blank">here</a>. </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><b><i><a href="http://tribe.consciouslyparentingacademy.com/subscriptions" target="_blank">Consciously Parenting Academy:</a> Real Challenges. Real Relationships. Real Solutions with Heart.</i></b></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Affordable Classes for Parents 24/7 from the Comfort of Home</i></b></div>
Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-17645187009188747712014-09-25T05:41:00.002-07:002014-09-25T05:42:58.216-07:00Feeling isolated? We can help!<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #222222; empty-cells: hide; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding: 0px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><td align="center" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" valign="top"><table align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; empty-cells: hide; padding: 0px; width: 600px;"><tbody>
<tr style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><td align="left" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" valign="top"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; empty-cells: hide; padding: 0px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><td style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #262626; font-weight: bold;">“<span style="font-style: italic;">I’m the only one I know who is parenting this way</span>,”</span><span style="color: #262626;"> she said on the phone from Boston. </span><span style="color: #262626; font-weight: bold;">“<span style="font-style: italic;">Parents are really conservative here and it is hard to find any alternative community.</span>”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #262626;">The same day, a mom in Perth, Western Australia said, </span><span style="color: #262626; font-weight: bold;">“<span style="font-style: italic;">I feel really isolated here. We don’t know many other families and those we do know don’t really understand what we’re doing and why.</span>”</span><br />
<div style="color: #262626;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #262626;">
It happened again the following day talking to a mom in rural Georgia. And then a mom in Kentucky.</div>
<div style="color: #262626;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #262626;">This summer, I held a mini-retreat for families in my home and I had a group of dads in a circle talking about dad stuff. Guess what they talked about? Not having anyone to have these real conversations with. Whoa.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #262626;">I was paying attention. How could it be that all these parents who were talking about similar things regarding their parenting all felt exactly the same way despite living in very different places? </span><span style="color: #262626; font-weight: bold;">What could we do to help us all feel less isolated?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #262626; font-style: italic;">My solution was to create an online community where parents could meet each other, support each other, and learn together. I would love for you to be a part of this community!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="background-color: inherit; color: blue; font-size: 18px;">Join us if…</span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>You’re looking for a place to connect with other like-minded parents no matter where you live in the world.</span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: blue;"><br />You need something you can access on your own time without having to put anyone in the car.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: blue;"><br />You love Consciously Parenting’s cutting edge, yet practical resources.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: blue;"><br />You need some extra support, but one-on-one sessions are out of your budget.</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #262626;">
The idea here is that there is strength in numbers (<span style="font-weight: bold;">kind of like a Groupon for parenting!</span>). <span style="font-style: italic;">When we have a large group supporting the financial cost of what I’m offering, I can lower the price and still be compensated for my work.</span> I’m offering a special deal for Consciously Parenting’s Membership Community, aka I Heart Parenting.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">This is the last time I’ll be offering the community membership at this price</span>(and if you get it now, you’re grandfathered in at the lower price for as long as you’re a part of this community).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you had one 60-minute session with me per month, it would be over $1000. With all the other bonuses, you're easily getting $300-500 per month of valued content and support. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">For just $97, you get :</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">-a full year of community and support, including support calls with Rebecca </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">-a secret Facebook group (shhhh), </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">-monthly calls to ask your questions, </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">-special topic calls,</span></div>
<div>
and the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Consciously Parenting Academy</span>, which launches this weekend. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Academy </span>includes an all access pass to many of the resources here at Consciously Parenting including:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Couples</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Early Parenting</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Emotions and Behavior</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Conscious Living</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Alternative Health</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Special Circumstances (death, divorce, trauma, and more)</span>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We have many collaborators who will be adding content weekly, including short videos and other written content. You’ll be able to join just the Academy <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1081110112" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">tomorrow</span></span>, but today you’ll also get the community bonuses for less than the cost of the Academy alone. It’s a steal!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-style: italic;">(This is pretty crazy to be offering this for such a low price. But I want so much to support you in a cost effective way that as part of my 7th Anniversary specials and in honor of my angel, Jacob, I'd like to offer this special.)</span><br />
<br />
You can learn more and join here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://app.getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=tqaxJ&mc=B7&s=zT2Y7Q&u=otgJ&y=K&" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" title="">http://www.iheartparenting.<wbr></wbr>com/become-a-member/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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</td></tr>
<tr style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><td style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 600px;">
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; empty-cells: hide; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tbody>
<tr style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><td align="center" style="background-color: #0000ee; border-bottom-left-radius: 7px; border-bottom-right-radius: 7px; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 7px; border-top-right-radius: 7px; margin: 0px; padding: 13px 25px;" valign="top"><a href="http://www.iheartparenting.com/become-a-member/" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold;">Join my community now!</a></td></tr>
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I really hope you'll join us! All specials for our 7th Anniversary end on <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1081110114" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Sunday, September 28</span></span>.<br />
<br />
Thank you for being a part of The Consciously Parenting Project. I'm so glad you're here!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
Warmly,<br />
Rebecca Thompson, MS, MFT<br />
Founder and Executive Director of The Consciously Parenting Project</div>
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<tr style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><td style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; empty-cells: hide; padding: 0px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><td align="left" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #262626; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 10px;" valign="top"><span style="background-color: inherit; font-size: 16px;">P.S. If you know anyone else who would enjoy the community and support of this great deal, please share! You know, that whole GROUPon thing. :-)</span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: inherit; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: inherit; font-size: 16px;">P.S.S. I'm behind on responding to my emails, but I am still scheduling the free 30 minute sessions. If you've emailed me, I'll be getting back to you soon!</span></div>
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Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-58148042337699112672014-09-21T13:34:00.003-07:002014-09-21T13:36:35.098-07:00A Gift for YOU as Consciously Parenting Celebrates 7 Years<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>The Consciously Parenting Project began 7 years ago today.
</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Consciously Parenting was founded in loving memory of my
son, Jacob, who came into the world at 10am on this date 12 years ago and
passed away at noon the same day, leaving my world forever changed. Jacob was
born with a birth defect incompatible with life. He was born at home by choice
and spent his entire life held by those who loved him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The struggle that followed his death far exceeded my
ability to cope, though I really didn’t see that at the time. (I don’t really
give up. I’m kind of stubborn when it comes to things like this…) Things went
from bad to worse as my son, in his 4 year-old way, tried to bring it to my
attention that I really wasn’t present with him anymore. But 4 year-olds don’t
tell you nicely. They express their own struggle and hope you pick up on it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But I didn’t. Not for a long time. I thought he was the
problem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If he
would just listen to me, we would be fine. If he would just be a little more
calm and patient, things would feel better for all of us.</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I didn’t see his fear. I didn’t see that he just needed me
to love him and comfort him. I saw no connection between his brother’s death
and his current behavior. And I saw no connection between Jacob’s death and my
current behavior, which I thought was ok. (ish)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Once I finally figured out that Jacob’s death had spiraled us
all (after about 4 years of struggle), I had uncovered some pretty big Truths
that needed to be shared. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I knew this
information could completely transform families as it had mine.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My dear friend, Lianne March, web master extraordinaire,
held my hand and helped me put together the first version of Consciously
Parenting. We launched on September 21, 2007 with the mission of educating
families and helping them find hope and support to connect deeply with one
another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve continued to have my own struggles and (luckily) I’ve
continued to learn. Now I have developed a vast library of resources on a wide
variety of topics, including some incredible interviews with my colleagues,
classes, and lots of writing to help guide your journey out of chaos and into
connection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Thank you for being a part of The Consciously Parenting
Project. Whether you just found us or you’ve been with us since 2007 when we
began, thank you. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. Without your powerful
stories of transformation in your families, I might forget how important this
work really is for all of us. We really do need each other. I believe that’s
what a community is all about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As a
thank you, this week, I’m offering free 30-minute phone or Skype consultations.</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Sign up
this week for a time between now and middle of October by sending me an email. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><i>(rebecca @ consciouslyparenting (dot) com without the spaces and replace (dot) with .)</i><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It is my way of saying thank you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I’d like
to hear your story.</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> And I’d like to see what I can do to help your
family feel better- more peaceful, more joyful, more connected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Just title your email "Free 30 min session" and we’ll find a time.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This week, I’m going to be sending out some special
offers to my newsletter list. You may not know how many great things we have going on here at The
Consciously Parenting Project, so please allow me to share. Make sure you're signed up for my newsletter list to see all the great stuff going on this week! You can sign up below. </span><i>(You can also sign up and then hit reply to the email welcoming you after you opt in and that goes straight to my inbox.)</i></span><!--EndFragment--><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank you again for being here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Now you know why I am here. Email me and share with me what brought you here and what you're seeking. Or post in the comments. I'd love to hear.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Warmly,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Rebecca</span><br />
<br />
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Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-58381408700631587162014-07-18T14:12:00.003-07:002014-07-18T14:14:11.255-07:00Consciously Navigating Media in Our Families<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“I'm trying to find my
balance with electronics…. I am posting this here because I have posted this in
other places and the responses have ranged from too much, too little, sell it
all, get more electronics, etc. I want to find what works for us, realizing
it's ok if it doesn't work for everyone…. Does anyone else struggle to find
this balance? If you've found it, how did you find what eventually worked for
your family?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
all started with this post from a mom of two young boys in my <a href="http://www.iheartparenting.com/become-a-parent-member/">I Heart Parenting
community</a>. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
responses among my very conscious families on </span><a href="http://www.iheartparenting.com/become-a-parent-member/" style="font-size: 14pt;">I Heart Parenting</a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
were as varied as the families in the group. Some aren’t limiting electronics
at all, while others are severely limiting them and several families in
between. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">One family realized that
it was they, the parents, who were having trouble limiting themselves, so they
drastically reduced their own electronics time for starters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjGK4tbaRvcSFhDrELPXqmFWZVf5JnUnarQsuGjsILpzlPQ5ood5V7cvoVxRdJoV_3tfUBJKuKGQob28NUhRXxiPwJPUzAI7UdpMfHdDqxQcjUm8977PwnIpm5lFTBO5SCV7YG4fLvihF/s1600/IMAG1257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjGK4tbaRvcSFhDrELPXqmFWZVf5JnUnarQsuGjsILpzlPQ5ood5V7cvoVxRdJoV_3tfUBJKuKGQob28NUhRXxiPwJPUzAI7UdpMfHdDqxQcjUm8977PwnIpm5lFTBO5SCV7YG4fLvihF/s1600/IMAG1257.jpg" height="320" width="191" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I posted a question about how families handle media on my personal Facebook
page, I was greeted with equally diverse answers and a couple of private
messages sharing what they do in their families and why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Could
it be more complicated?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Possibly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Start
adding in the research about it and it is likely that you’ll end up being more
clear about what you don’t want (which may be polar opposites) and less clear about how to get where you want
to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I have my own challenges in the area of media. After following a limited media approach for early and middle childhood, we're exploring more flexibility now and are running into some challenges here, too. I really resonated with the question, too. I
decided to reach out to some of my colleagues and see what they do in their
families and what they suggest to the families they support, given their
knowledge of the research and their focus on creating connection and putting
the relationship first. How do they navigate this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Despite
the wide range of answers to the question from my colleagues, I heard all of
these parents putting the relationship first. Most talked about having many
open conversations with their child or children about media use, how they feel
when they watch certain things, empowering them to make their own decisions in
what they felt were age-appropriate ways, and support the child when they were
struggling in some way because of media. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So
many parts of parenting <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are
somewhat timeless. Unlike bedtimes, sleeping arrangements, food, and other
common parenting issues, we have no template for what to do with media, whether
it worked for our parents or not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other aspects of parenting, we decide whether or not we need
to repeat what was done with us or decide whether we’d like to do them
differently with our children. (Or just repeating by default, of course. Always
an option.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a little more challenging to feel
our way through media because we don’t have anything to compare it to in our
own lives as children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I was growing up, we didn’t have cable. The only electronic games we could play
were Simon (remember that one?) and the early Atari games on our black and white console television.
There is a bit more fear here for many of us just because this is uncharted territory for us.
We didn’t grow up with Internet, let alone pocket sized computers we carry with
us 24/7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We probably didn’t get
our first smart phone until we were in our late 20’s or 30’s or even later, so
what does our teen need to find her way through? We’re still trying to figure
this out for ourselves and we’re supposed to be guiding our children through
this at the same time. This is another situation where we’re learning to ride
the bicycle while we’re building it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So
how do we figure out what’s going to work best in our family? How do we know
what’s right? How can we balance our intuition and our fears that may or may
not be logical and rational? How can we support our children to grow up to be
emotionally healthy adults who know how to have a face-to-face relationship
with other people in this world where so many of their interactions are
happening virtually? How can we help them find their own balance with media
use? How can we find it ourselves?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I look at this issue, I realize that it warrants a much bigger discussion than
a simple blog post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to
write a series of articles over the next few weeks and months, and have some
conversations with colleagues about this subject to give you some food for
thought as you find your own path through this jungle so that you can stay
connected to your children while you’re guiding them, which is what I think we
all want. This week, we’re beginning by exploring the topic and recognizing the
challenges here. Next week, we’ll be looking at limiting our children’s media
exposure as a path. The following week, we’ll be looking at not putting overt
limits on media. The last week, we’ll be exploring how to find your own way
through each developmental phase to something that works for you and your
family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ll
begin next Tuesday, July 22 with a conversation with my friend and colleague,
Erika Elmuts of <a href="http://www.consciousparents.org/">www.consciousparents.org</a>
as we kick off this discussion.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOtwXNJNxHPz8ZYnGTORMueosQpTwJoudwR-VIBTgdo5sbO4UDJO8Ndlr03_Pn-E02HIeIVy4JXM7szuWEZNYGTiX2pfL27iXFSjQcXKCzA9SnRwNTqNck6VFMbDKWwOcmArNFvxblSnf/s1600/Erika+Elmuts+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOtwXNJNxHPz8ZYnGTORMueosQpTwJoudwR-VIBTgdo5sbO4UDJO8Ndlr03_Pn-E02HIeIVy4JXM7szuWEZNYGTiX2pfL27iXFSjQcXKCzA9SnRwNTqNck6VFMbDKWwOcmArNFvxblSnf/s1600/Erika+Elmuts+small.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erika Elmuts, Conscious Parents.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Please feel free to write
your own media related questions in the comments and we’ll do our best to
answer them on the call</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">. If you’d like to join us, <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/create-a-family-life-that-works-for-you/">here’s
a link to sign up</a>. Even if you can’t join us live, by signing up we can
send you the recording and you’ll hear about additional calls as they’re added
to the calendar. I hope you’ll join in this very important discussion, whether
you’ve figured out what works for your family (and I hope you’ll share your
secrets) or if you’re still trying to figure it out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-78732774480988464062014-06-13T13:56:00.002-07:002014-06-13T13:57:23.445-07:00It's Never Too Late to Connect<br />
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><b>Reader's Question:</b><span style="font-size: 14px;"><i> "I am a 62 yr old grandmother, and my 3 yr old granddaughter loves being with me. I wasn't well-mothered or grand-mothered, and was ill-prepared to be a mother or grandmother myself. My husband and I made many mistakes raising our son, who rebelled at sixteen, left home during his senior year, and at 37, is struggling with drugs and alcohol to this day. His daughter is a preciou</i></span></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><i>s, loving little girl. I want to respect and understand what she feels and be fully present with her, and don't want to repeat the mistakes I made with her Daddy. I'm especially concerned about how to control my temper and patiently guide her when she makes mistakes, as we all do. Where do I begin? I feel so inadequate."</i></span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvkSUEVWsihqmkLihKtA74wrMKocTxVOtjkqmsPucU45YNYghrM8A5r13x-8nfRe0yNjGGU-Uoor2kVqUwhE27Y7DmcI5HT_MOegz606SyYy7_hCuLbc2m-aO7RnEP6xErKgNSFVsXXNC/s1600/new+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvkSUEVWsihqmkLihKtA74wrMKocTxVOtjkqmsPucU45YNYghrM8A5r13x-8nfRe0yNjGGU-Uoor2kVqUwhE27Y7DmcI5HT_MOegz606SyYy7_hCuLbc2m-aO7RnEP6xErKgNSFVsXXNC/s1600/new+(3).jpg" height="94" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">A:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"> I really appreciate that you brought up this question. I hear that you are really working hard to be a loving and connected grandmother to your granddaughter, but that you're feeling like you don't really have the tools or know how to start. And honestly, this is the place you begin. Identifying that you are learning and knowing what you want for your relationship with her are paramount to making the changes you'd like to make. You can't move forward without that. </span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />That said, as you pay attention to your own process and your own journey, just begin by acknowledging when you don't handle something the way you wanted with her. You're repairing the relationship, which helps you both, but you're also modeling for her what to do when she makes a mistake. Begin with "I'm so sorry that I lost my patience (or whatever it is that you're acknowledging). Let's try that again." And you can back up or rewind like an old tape (literally, if you'd like, as silliness can really help break our own tension and the tension between us) and do it again the way you wanted to do it. We ALL have those moments and we often think that we're just totally messing things up. But what I have come to realize is that those moments when we "mess up" and then reconnect create a very strong glue in our relationships.<br /><br />Sometimes you may not know what you could have done differently in the moment. Sit with it and ask the question, "What could I do in that moment to CONNECT?" Practice it in your mind. It really helps. Your mind doesn't know the difference between something that you're imagining and something that is happening, so it is a PERFECT place to practice the way you'd like to do things.<br /><br />Patience is challenging for all parents. Begin just by being aware of yourself and how you're feeling. Give yourself the space to step away when you're losing patience and breathe. Do something that is nourishing to you- go outside, sing, play some music, dance- with or without your granddaughter. Own it. "I need to do something different for a few minutes so I can really be with you and have fun." And then let her know what you need. If you can shift the energy together, then invite her along. If you need relief for a few minutes, give that to yourself.<br /><br />I want to acknowledge the relationship that you have now with your son and the difficulty I am hearing he is having in his life to this day. The best thing you can do is to forgive yourself, knowing you did the best you could at the time with the information and support you had when he was growing up. He's an adult now and he's on his own path. As you learn to connect in new ways with your granddaughter, it might surprise you that you see new ways that you can connect with him, as well, if he's open to it.<br /><br />By the way, I LOVE hearing that your granddaughter LOVES being with you. That says a lot about your connection already. Remember that now.<br /><br /><i class="_4-k1 img sp_V4JV4emCTRW sx_363357" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yt/r/wnGVAUC1VK_.png); background-position: -204px -881px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"></i> <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=187450981300865" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecca-Thompson-MS/187450981300865" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Rebecca Thompson, MS</a></span>Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-48667012357301932902014-05-17T21:50:00.000-07:002014-05-17T21:50:41.416-07:00Creating a Family Life that Works for YOU!<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week, I was kind of stressed out. OK, I was more than a little stressed. Our family wasn't working well- not the way I wanted it to, anyway. My work time was getting squished, bedtimes were getting later and later, I wasn't getting enough sleep... (maybe you've had a similar experience??)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wasn't happy. I was getting short with my kids because I was frustrated. My to-do list was long, but so was the time it was taking to get out the door to school in the morning. My nights and my work time were short. And every delay for bedtime was driving me up the wall! I didn't have the patience. My needs weren't being met.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the past, I might have just started yelling. I might have resorted to consequences. I might have wanted my child to feel the same discomfort I was experiencing. It probably wouldn't have been pretty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I've been doing this consciously parenting thing for a while. Not perfectly. But I know that I handle things much better than I used to most of the time. I know that things go better when I find a way to connect before I make a request or correct my sons. I know that if I can respect their needs and mine, too, that things go much better for everyone. I also know that the moment when I'm upset about something isn't the moment to try to have a logical conversation with my boys (or really anyone else, for that matter).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My 10 year-old and I had a conversation and worked out a solution that met my needs and also met his. He was able to hear what was going on for me and my frustrations (we've been doing this for a while) and I was able to hear what he needed, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next day after a dramatically easier bedtime and a great morning send-off to school, I was sitting in my office chair smiling.<b> I had somehow managed to meet my needs without disrespecting my son's needs</b>. And now I could do the work I really needed to do. Beautiful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found myself thinking about all the parents who have felt like me- when things aren't working in a way that feels good to you. And when it doesn't feel good to you, it doesn't feel good to your family, either. And that means it isn't working for them, either. If you're like me and you're wanting to parent consciously and peacefully with respect, that can be really challenging if you don't have the tools to do so. I know I didn't have them for many years and felt so frustrated!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week, I had a mom contact me because her 4 year-old daughter was hitting her. This was clearly not working for mom! Mom didn't want to react negatively, so she was just trying to ignore the behavior until she figured out what to do. She would rather do nothing than something that was going to be really disrespectful (like hitting her or yelling at her).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm guessing that you probably have felt this way about something in your parenting life. What is it? I want to talk about these things with you and other parents around the globe who are striving to parent consciously, but aren't sure how to get to a place of balance in the family in respectful ways.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So you're invited to my upcoming webinar / call: Creating a Family Life that Works for YOU. I'm going to be answering YOUR questions.</span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Would you like to join us? Sign up <span style="color: #0645ad;"><a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/create-a-family-life-that-works-for-you/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></i></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The call will be held on <strong><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1657690049" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 8pm</span></span> eastern</strong>. Please sign up even if you can't attend live. We'll be recording this call and will send out a recording once the call is over (and all the technical miracles have happened to put it on a page where you can listen to it... magic, I tell you...).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are your biggest challenges getting in the way of creating a family life that works for you? And for your family? I had an image of the way I wanted things to be in my family and then I had the way things actually were... and I wasn't sure how to get there from where I was. It didn't happen overnight, but I found the baby steps I needed to take to begin to move in the direction I wanted to go. Baby step after baby step. Steps backwards and sideways, but I finally realized that I was just dancing and there was nothing actually wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Warmly,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rebecca</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj7LAhIZgtIk9Vt6g11jFgDU5LpeN9A4uX0h-RCpkMMYldJzcJddWQq_XTJx3_1nCtFExEY4-8rWaRUoRR1TltUOpqO-EE-BoMgeN8eT3hJXwoRIzJjLlUrru6i33OwKqZfeEb288vhjIK3yXlQSpxAB-iba-x5WgIIXIQ2Hz9WA6ePOfaIYQuVvJsOVC7JAksa1kk=s0-d-e1-ft" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rebecca Signature.jpg" border="0" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj7LAhIZgtIk9Vt6g11jFgDU5LpeN9A4uX0h-RCpkMMYldJzcJddWQq_XTJx3_1nCtFExEY4-8rWaRUoRR1TltUOpqO-EE-BoMgeN8eT3hJXwoRIzJjLlUrru6i33OwKqZfeEb288vhjIK3yXlQSpxAB-iba-x5WgIIXIQ2Hz9WA6ePOfaIYQuVvJsOVC7JAksa1kk=s0-d-e1-ft" style="min-height: 44px; width: 183px;" title="Rebecca Signature.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj7LAhIZgtIk9Vt6g11jFgDU5LpeN9A4uX0h-RCpkMMYldJzcJddWQq_XTJx3_1nCtFExEY4-8rWaRUoRR1TltUOpqO-EE-BoMgeN8eT3hJXwoRIzJjLlUrru6i33OwKqZfeEb288vhjIK3yXlQSpxAB-iba-x5WgIIXIQ2Hz9WA6ePOfaIYQuVvJsOVC7JAksa1kk=s0-d-e1-ft" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTy7POhg7hgAmBWqHssnPPBWx92PkuJhH2CVbOCxO5OImq8IdKlmf-ahbykSyLWTK9eqG34ojDxb3p9G7sKwyof1OqvEEqgOd2E7oALZBDdtI-LYiDHm-R-4dLGcZ2FJNMk4sko34E-Qn/s1600/rebecca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTy7POhg7hgAmBWqHssnPPBWx92PkuJhH2CVbOCxO5OImq8IdKlmf-ahbykSyLWTK9eqG34ojDxb3p9G7sKwyof1OqvEEqgOd2E7oALZBDdtI-LYiDHm-R-4dLGcZ2FJNMk4sko34E-Qn/s1600/rebecca.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-1699517951613180512014-05-11T15:32:00.000-07:002014-05-11T15:32:43.128-07:00Healing on Mother's Day
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mother’s Day 2014</b></div>
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There is so much of each person’s story that comes up on
Mother’s Day. As I scrolled through my Facebook feed today, I was really struck
by the glimpses of my friends’ stories about their mothers and mother figures
in their lives. From the charming pictures of my friends with their own
children to the heartbreak of my friend whose mother is under hospice care and
hasn’t woken up today (but has been very peacefully sleeping with loved ones
nearby), it is clear that mothers and mothering strikes a deep chord for nearly
everyone I know.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkLf_CZTj96aso4Upqr_qU0VgzEV_EPqse_kjw-O0aM716xF3eLGSq3CfHqYq3m0RgiH4LX4ZBDg2UycUV5hhpXddu56n8u0HDpF78NKPmK9ULZAZBVvGGJ69Ej89mHVKicG4NLtNOEQD/s1600/IMG_1456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkLf_CZTj96aso4Upqr_qU0VgzEV_EPqse_kjw-O0aM716xF3eLGSq3CfHqYq3m0RgiH4LX4ZBDg2UycUV5hhpXddu56n8u0HDpF78NKPmK9ULZAZBVvGGJ69Ej89mHVKicG4NLtNOEQD/s1600/IMG_1456.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my boys last summer</td></tr>
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Some highlighted their own mothers, living or no longer with
them, with loving tributes along with touching pictures. Others focused on
their own journey as a mother, sharing pictures with their own children now or
when their children were small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some shared multigenerational pictures with their own mother and their
children together. (Those were so fun for me to see the familial resemblance
and so many mothers who look like their mothers!)</div>
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This day means something different for everyone and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we can really touch upon our own story of
being a mother</i> (if we are one), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">having
a mother</i> (which we all have, some of us having many mothers and mother
figures in our lives), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">or our mothering
losses</i> (including needs unmet, the loss of children, being unable to
conceive, the loss of our mother, disconnections in our relationship with our
mother past or present). The events and circumstances in our lives that we are
not complete with around our mother and mothering are bound to show up on this
day for us.</div>
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Regardless of what story may be showing up for us today,
what is most important for us is to nurture ourselves. I believe more than
anything that this is a perfect opportunity for us to ask ourselves what we
need and then ask others for support in meeting those needs. If you are sad and
grieving losses today, ask for space or for connection. If it feels true to
you, spend time writing your story, to share or not share, but write it for
yourself. Maybe you find yourself feeling angry for your mothering losses.
Create space for that and write or share with a friend or loved one. Perhaps
you feel overjoyed and grateful for the love you’ve been given and the
connection you share with your children. Share that, too. Write it down.
Remember and cherish these moments. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Whatever you’re feeling is more than OK. It is necessary and will point
you toward the direction of your own wholeness.</i></b></div>
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Several years ago, I had the opportunity to work with a family with a child who had been
adopted shortly after birth. This particular year, instead of being happy on
Mother’s Day, Sarah was sad. Sarah’s parents, who were quite aware of their
daughter, didn’t take it offensively, but were curious about why she was
feeling sad on this particular day. At 8 years old, Sarah was able to
articulate that she was thinking about her birth mother and wondered if her
birth mother was alone on this day. Sarah had a family and a mother, but there
was someone else who was on her heart. Her mother realized this was an opening
to help her daughter to heal a bit more of her own story. She listened to her
daughter share what was on her heart then together they decided to light a
candle to remember her birth mother on this special day. A lightness came back
into her daughter as they lit the candle together. Mother and daughter were
able to celebrate the day with a renewed appreciation for each other. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tips for Mother’s Day
Healing</b></div>
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-Whatever you are feeling today is right and perfect.</div>
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<br /></div>
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-Those feelings will point you in the direction of healing
parts of your story that need a little love balm. This is true of you, your
partner, and your kiddos.</div>
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<br /></div>
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-Make space for those feelings by writing or sharing with
someone else who can just listen to what you need to say.</div>
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-Find a way to let it go. Here are some ideas to help you:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Release it by writing words on a
balloon or a sky lantern (I like these best because they are 100%
biodegradable) and watch them sail away into the sky. </i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Write words on paper and tear them
up or burn them (safely, of course). </i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrnOBoR0OISU2_1u2AUPoOsOSvHeHA6NiwNpzo7aXI5URwPtxN7ZPKWCXAFagTR4pH5t4l8-_H4mkPiGUo8o7buR-UhdHjWskCZ4q0F8QMUC630WTUykpZslrjFwgBRqb1VF_GAi4qw8b/s1600/IMG_1990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrnOBoR0OISU2_1u2AUPoOsOSvHeHA6NiwNpzo7aXI5URwPtxN7ZPKWCXAFagTR4pH5t4l8-_H4mkPiGUo8o7buR-UhdHjWskCZ4q0F8QMUC630WTUykpZslrjFwgBRqb1VF_GAi4qw8b/s1600/IMG_1990.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sky lantern</td></tr>
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<i>Light a candle to remember someone.</i>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Say a prayer.</i> </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Meditate.</i> </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Go for a walk and allow the energy
to move through your body.</i> </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Take a nap. </i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Sing. </i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Create something. </i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Tell stories with your loved ones.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Do what calls to you to help you move through the energy
around this day. Listen to your own internal guidance. You know what you need
to do.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Wishing you many blessings today and always.</div>
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Warmly,</div>
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Rebecca</div>
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P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! If you'd like more, make sure you sign up for our newsletter <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/newsletter/" target="_blank">here</a>. We have so much great stuff coming up this year and I don't want you to miss it! </div>
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Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-3867309220585321082014-02-19T10:04:00.001-08:002014-02-19T10:04:22.913-08:00New BeginningsWelcome to my blog! I've been writing here intermittently for the past several years since the IT guy I consulted (who I happened to have nannied when he was small- ugh!) suggested that blogging was just like journaling in public. I like to write, so it seemed like a good fit. He held my hand and told me how to get it all set up (thanks, Matt!) and my blog was born.<br />
<br />
I've had some good runs with my blog and I've been able to write about many topics that are near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, I've neglected it for a little while.<br />
<br />
It isn't that I haven't wanted to write. It's that sometimes life is complicated and perhaps we need some time to just pull inward while the storms pass. And so I did. The picture on the bottom of this post is from last year taken by a friend. It's a picture of me taking a picture of the sunset with my phone, which I did every night. You see, every night for a year, I went down to the seawall (I live in Florida near the Gulf of Mexico) to watch the sun set. We called it "Seawall Therapy" and it surely was. I highly recommend this sort of ritual for general sanity. Imagine if the whole world slowed down to watch the sunset every night... even without the seawall.<br />
<br />
Now that the air is clearing and I have a whole year of sunsets under my belt, I have more space to step into new beginnings. I'm going to be writing more regularly again with a whole new set of topics to educate, inspire, and support your parenting journey. I'll be having guest bloggers join me from time to time to share their unique perspectives on finding their own way.<br />
<br />
I'd love to hear if there is something specific you'd like me to write about, too. This is OUR blog and we're co-creating it, much like the parenting journey. We can't do this alone and we all have our own story and our own voice. Together, those voices form a chorus. :-) If you have a story you'd like to share, let me know! We'll be posting more details about our plans soon. In the meantime, happy parenting!<br />
<br />
Warmly,<br />
Rebecca<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzEzsozu6ds_a6itFtA6XgKRTcZI3EPahkI6pupHoQxQt_f1ntS9zR9hDxalvIista1HV52JSYMy3RIm9Vk_15ICV6eblvUOH1TGum3y_vXN69tD5gXsfyMrDm1F8KWGGrWRYZZmGusUe/s1600/IMG_1920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzEzsozu6ds_a6itFtA6XgKRTcZI3EPahkI6pupHoQxQt_f1ntS9zR9hDxalvIista1HV52JSYMy3RIm9Vk_15ICV6eblvUOH1TGum3y_vXN69tD5gXsfyMrDm1F8KWGGrWRYZZmGusUe/s1600/IMG_1920.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at Seawall Therapy, 2013. Taken by a friend and her iPhone.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-82397266429400597912013-07-12T09:56:00.000-07:002013-07-12T09:56:31.921-07:00When the Unexpected Happens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQSXrYyCmLRKlIj-eX19jg68uIXjZOcuEFKVYJz_j7bqD9DPQQRQjzwX31TJASqMVN3nygwNKQn2Z-tz4A5zhDNxdG11nuX2au1PgALP5oUEOj7aDr_roomjXbQ5f6cWE4Z1wtlpcDL0B/s1600/WTUH-logo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQSXrYyCmLRKlIj-eX19jg68uIXjZOcuEFKVYJz_j7bqD9DPQQRQjzwX31TJASqMVN3nygwNKQn2Z-tz4A5zhDNxdG11nuX2au1PgALP5oUEOj7aDr_roomjXbQ5f6cWE4Z1wtlpcDL0B/s200/WTUH-logo2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Life often throws unexpected things into our path and we get to decide how we handle them. We don't always get to choose what we will face, but we do have a choice about what we do next.<br />
<br />
This past year has been really rough for me in many ways. Though I separated from my husband and we have both moved on with our own lives, and even though things have been quite unexpectedly adversarial between us, I still care about him and want the best for him. Even though some of his choices have made things harder for me, maybe that's all part of the way it needs to be for me to step more fully into who I am on this journey. But let me be honest here- it has been really rough.<br />
<br />
He hasn't been well. Not for a while. I went through my own personal challenges with my own health over the previous months. It seems health issues are a common experience for most people who are going through a separation and divorce. I'm finally feeling almost back to myself, but things have taken an unexpected turn for Ryan.<br />
<br />
Long story short, about two weeks ago, Ryan was in cardiac ICU with a severe systemic infection, damage to his heart valves and awaiting open heart surgery. We didn't really know what the outcome would ultimately be, but I definitely found myself in an unexpected place. I couldn't have imagined I would be here in a million years, but here I am. It was heart-wrenching and completely discombobulating. Suddenly everything I thought was a given wasn't. I didn't know what would happen next, but I knew that it was time for me to step up and take good care of my boys in the midst of the uncertainty. I knew I couldn't change what was happening with their father, but I could be there for them. I could make sure that their needs were met, that there was room for their feelings, and that they were surrounded by lots of people who love them.<br />
<br />
As I was wandering around my kitchen trying to get breakfast at 4pm a few days ago, my head spinning with so many unknowns and unanswered questions, I remembered that I taught a series entitled <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/WTUH/" target="_blank"><i>When the Unexpected Happens</i></a> a couple of summers ago. In it, I talked about the importance of meeting our own needs and taking care of ourselves when something unexpected happens so that we can take care of and support our children. (In other words, I probably need to eat breakfast before 4pm...)<br />
<br />
I needed to listen to it again and I figured that there are probably many of you reading this who probably do, too. So I asked my amazing assistant, Lianne, to put it up on a special page so that you can go in and listen to it for free all weekend beginning Friday, July 12<i></i> and ending Sunday, July 14. If you're so moved, there's also an invitation to purchase the whole series at a big discount. It is a gift to you and it will also gift my family to help me put gas in my car and food in my children's bellies during this big transition for us all.<br />
<br />
Unexpected things don't have to be in the form of a major health crisis. Losing a job, a birth that becomes traumatic or doesn't go the way you'd planned, a death in the family, separation or divorce, or really any other major life stressor that you didn't anticipate. Have a listen and see what you think.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/WTUH/" target="_blank">Visit this page</a> and you can sign up for free listening, and we'll send you a link to the page where you can listen to all the audios. Please share with anyone who might also need this resource.<br />
<br />
Update: Ryan had open heart surgery on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 and had his heart valve replaced. While he is recovering well after such a big procedure, there are still lots of unknowns. Thanks for positive thoughts and prayers, if you're so moved. He has a long recovery ahead.Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-43505825027469180772013-05-12T00:01:00.000-07:002013-05-12T00:01:00.289-07:00Nurturing Connection Pre-Order Open!!I've been threatening to publish this book for months now, but I'm actually going to do it. We always know we're close to publishing when my friend's daughter, Alexa, models the book for us. This time, she's modeling it for us wearing a princess cape. Perfect.<br />
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<a href="http://cpbookseries.com/books/book-3-nurturing-connection/" target="_blank">Nurturing Connection</a> is really about those moments when we or our children are on a yellow light. It's the fork in the road. How do we navigate those moments so that our relationships end up intact? Nurturing Connection is what that's all about. Those moments of emotional upsets can be the ones where we come unglued OR they can be the ones that pull us together as a family.<br />
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Anyone who has ever experienced a really rough patch knows that relationships either get closer or further apart when something is difficult. How do we do harness those moments at the fork in the road with our children? How do we take the every day moments of parenting and find ways to connect?<br />
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You can read more about my new book, including viewing the table of contents, <a href="http://cpbookseries.com/books/book-3-nurturing-connection/" target="_blank">here</a>. This is also where you go to purchase it. We've got some great pre-order specials going until Monday, May 27. This is how we, as a small publishing company, fund the printing, so your pre-orders really do matter. Buy one for yourself, one for a friend, and one to share for great discounts. <i>All purchases of paperback books will get you a PDF version of the book as soon as we finalize it next week.</i> :-) <br />
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In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at the Introduction to the book. <br />
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<b>Introduction of Nurturing Connection</b><br />"<em>Deepak Chopra spoke powerful words when he said, “Love without
action is meaningless and action without love is irrelevant.” I believe
this speaks deeply to what nurturing connected families is all about and
what we all want when we become parents. We need to realize that we
convey our love, or lack thereof, in everything we do with our children
and our partner. Nurturing connection is about finding ways to
demonstrate love through our actions, as well as our way of being with
one another.<br /><br />Nurturing our relationship with our children is the
heart and soul of consciously parenting. Nurturing relationships, once
they are established, is really an art. It is about remembering that our
children’s need for connection is a primary factor in most of their
behavior. It is about recognizing that, in every parenting situation, we
have choices about how we respond to our children and their behaviors.
It is about seeing every parenting situation as an opportunity to create
connection or disconnection. It is about looking at our everyday
parenting situations and beginning to see how we can choose connection.
It is also about being able to admit when something didn’t go as
planned, to forgive ourselves for not always being the parents we hope
to be, and to forgive our children for not always being the children we
hope they’d be.<br /><br />When parenting situations challenge us, how we
handle them can create connection or disconnection in our relationship
with our children. We can imagine these situations as forks in the road;
there is one road sign, going off to the left, that says, “Connection”
and another, going off to the right, that says, “Disconnection.” At the
fork, where the roads meet up, we have choices, and the decisions we
make can mean the difference between peace and struggle, not only in
that moment, but also in the relationship as a whole. It is through
these smaller, moment-to-moment decisions that the stage is set and we
and our children move closer together or further apart.<br /><br />Most of
our parenting information leads us further away from connection in the
name of “teaching” our children what is right and wrong. In my own home
growing up, I saw how parenting focused on behavior change alone led to
more disconnection and the need for relationship repair. The advice
given by “professionals” and implemented by my parents created a greater
level of disconnection and chaos within my family. Parents need to
teach their children appropriate behaviors, but they don’t need to do so
at the expense of the relationship.<br /><br />Children who feel connected
to you will want to please you—and they will. If they aren’t acting in a
way that is acceptable to you, there is something going on with them or
something going on with you, and they’re reacting to your energy or
what is going on with your connection. The first of consciously
parenting’s eight guiding principles says, “All behavior is
communication.” When we are aware of what is going on beneath the
surface, beneath the behavior—such as emotional regulation or
dysregulation, unmet needs, or unresolved traumas—we can respond in a
loving way rather than just reacting to the child’s behavior. And
responding lovingly nurtures the relationship.<br /><br />We need our
children to have a strong relationship with us so that they can trust
that we’ll be there for them when they need us. And they really do need
us. Behavior-focused parenting information uses pain, fear, punishment,
isolation, shame, and coercion to manage our child’s negative behavior.
When we dole out punishments or focus on the behavior, our children
learn that they cannot come to us. Instead, they seek out information
and support from their peers—those with only a limited number of years
on the planet and limited long-term decision-making skills.
Relationship-focused parenting teaches our children to calm themselves
down by reaching out to us when they’re stressed. It teaches our
children to come to us, the parents, to be supported through challenges
and when they are having a hard time.<br /><br />Whether we were parenting
consciously from the beginning of our children’s lives or we have worked
hard to create more connection with our growing children, we need to
understand that love and respect are co-created in a relationship. This
idea can be challenging for us as parents, because most parenting
information suggests that parenting is about the adult drawing the line
in the sand and the child submitting. Many parents struggle with the
expectation that their children just need to “do as I say when I say to
do it.” That method of parenting is about control. But control isn’t
co-creation; controlling your children isn’t nurturing, nor is it
realistic in a healthy relationship. This doesn’t mean that your child
doesn’t have to do what you ask or that your own needs don’t matter,
especially as your children grow older. But when we stop and respect our
children and their needs, as well as our own, we are modeling
respectful, nurturing behaviors.<br /><br />It is the day-to-day experiences
we have as parents that determine whether our children learn
appropriate behavior or not, whether our children learn to regulate
their behavior and emotions or not, and whether we live in a peaceful
environment where everyone respects everyone else’s needs or not. It is
our choice whether or not our children learn these things. If we are
mindful of our parenting choices, we can create the family we want to
have. Many times, we just are not aware that we have choices. Learning
what those choices are is what this book is all about.<br /><br />We’ll look
at common parenting situations with children of different ages and
stages of development, and we’ll discuss behavior-focused parenting
strategies, which are what we normally see in our society, followed by a
relationship-focused approach. The more that you are able to see
examples of this paradigm shift, the more you will be able to apply it
to your own parenting situations and circumstances.<br /><br />Please note that nurturing relationships doesn’t mean that if we don’t always make the best choice, we will have somehow failed as parents.</em><br />
<i><br /></i>
<em>We’re going to have times where we end up creating disconnection because
we’re running on autopilot and parenting according to old road maps
from our childhood. Nurturing relationships means that when we do make a
mistake, we set it right and find ways to reconnect with our children,
to prevent the need to totally repair the relationship. A pilot friend
shared the example of how just a slight shift in the course set early in
the flight can mean the difference between arriving at the destination
and ending up in a different country. When we make small course shifts
early in our parenting, it avoids the need for much larger or radical
repair to our relationship later.<br /><br />We’ll also talk about how we
can meet our children’s connection needs and nurture the relationship
when we are so busy. We always have places to go, things to do, email to
check, TV to watch. We have laundry that never ends and dinners,
lunches, and breakfasts that need to be planned and prepared. And many
of us also hold down jobs outside the home. Since we clearly don’t live
in a simple world, we need to make our personal world simpler for the
benefit of our families and our children—and ourselves. Even if we can’t
slow things down all the way, we can find ways to simplify and find
ways to create a community of support around us.<br /><br />Pam Leo points out in her book <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/store/connectionparentingmp3.php" target="_blank"><b>Connection Parenting</b></a>,
“We can either meet children’s need for connection or we can spend our
time dealing with the unmet need behaviors. Either way, we spend the
time.” When we can nurture our relationship with our children on a daily
basis, going out of our way to create connection, everything is easier,
and parenting is much more enjoyable."</em>Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-89908252982579447312013-04-29T12:40:00.004-07:002013-04-29T12:44:56.946-07:00Tantrums... not just for tots (Free call tonight) and NEW I Heart Parenting communityI'm excited. Super excited.<br />
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Tonight, I'm hosting a <a href="http://mywebmakeover.com/pages/cp/tantrums/" target="_blank">free call</a> about handling tantrums and emotional upsets. And on Wednesday, I'm launching my new <a href="http://www.iheartparenting.com/" target="_blank">I Heart Parenting community</a>!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheISXaYeq3Wf6hYrVKjKe3Xyiv381tMWieDmhfvftkeUeXZx11A420h_Gck1Kuv1O4A639eNxbfsxi-2PRsxeHBcNyOLce3VX7peZuxqkKRkHSJTPWeWWf9o7t8DDzjd2fwIIt-JLS7L0H/s1600/logo-redheart3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheISXaYeq3Wf6hYrVKjKe3Xyiv381tMWieDmhfvftkeUeXZx11A420h_Gck1Kuv1O4A639eNxbfsxi-2PRsxeHBcNyOLce3VX7peZuxqkKRkHSJTPWeWWf9o7t8DDzjd2fwIIt-JLS7L0H/s200/logo-redheart3.png" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.iheartparenting.com/">www.iheartparenting.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm over the moon excited.<br />
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I haven't gotten much sleep lately getting this all ready for you. Really, it is a dream I've had for many years that is finally taking form. And the super cool thing is that even I could afford to join this. And recently, money has been incredibly tight for me as a new single mom. (You can read about that <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.blogspot.com/2013/02/finding-my-own-true-north-personal.html" target="_blank">here</a> if you missed that story...) <br />
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While I've always been somewhat frugal, I had an experience recently that made me feel even more dedicated to getting some resources up that everyone can enjoy and still supports the work that I'm doing. A few months ago, when I couldn't afford to buy toilet paper (I did get it worked out, so don't worry), I didn't go into a place of despair. I knew that this was a very temporary place as I adjusted to being the sole income provider for myself and my boys. But I really began to appreciate every little thing that I did have. When I could put gas in my car, I rejoiced. When I had a little extra money and could do something nice for my boys, I cherished it in a way that's hard to describe.<br />
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I began to think even more about all the parents who are scraping by every month, just trying to feed their kids and wanted to do more to offer help. After all, I couldn't afford anything other than the most basic of things and if I needed parenting support, it wasn't going to happen no matter how valuable I felt the information was or how much I valued my relationship with my kids. I've always had lots of free resources on my website and blog. I regularly offer good sales and discounts. But those periodic things aren't enough when you're really struggling. Or even if you just want it to be better than it is.<br />
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I made a deal with myself about 7 years back when I was really struggling and someone supported me at no charge. Since then, I'm always trying to find ways to pay it forward.<br />
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And this feels really good.<br />
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So tonight, I'm hosting a <a href="http://mywebmakeover.com/pages/cp/tantrums/" target="_blank">free call</a> about an alternative view of tantrums and emotional upsets. This call isn't just about toddlers. Every day, I hear from parents with toddlers to teens (and yes, many times the parents) who are having emotional outbursts or upsets and aren't sure what to do that feels loving when we just want it to STOP. When it is us, we may beat ourselves up because we should know better or we're sounding just like our parents did with us. When it is our kids, we may resort to bribing them or maybe we just shut them out. How can we find our way into handling these emotionally charged moments the way we want? How can we handle these times in a way that helps our children have fewer of these moments as they grow older? And how can we grow ourselves up if we're still having more of those moments ourselves than we'd like to admit?<br />
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This is a huge topic and I've chosen it to launch the very first month of my new intentional community. I'll be sharing information and resources with you and we'll be getting to know each other, to support one another on the journey that sometimes feels really lonely as a conscious parent.<br />
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I hope you'll consider joining us to play in this new playground. Let's find some joy together! Let's inspire each other to be the best we can be without judgments as we find our way on our own unique path of parenting consciously. Let's learn together and create a community of support. It does take a village, even if it is virtual.<br />
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There's something powerful for me to hear parents from every corner of the globe are all feeling the same way. I want you to see that, too. There is magic in the common ground, how we are all more alike than different, and in watching families move from struggle to deep connection. I want you to have a window into that and learn from each other. <br />
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Have a question for me for tonight's call? <i>Please comment below.</i> Excited about the new community? Have ideas to make it a better place? <i>I'd love to have you comment below.</i> Or email me directly. I'll try to get back to you soon.<br />
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Hope to hear from you on the <a href="http://mywebmakeover.com/pages/cp/tantrums/" target="_blank">call tonight</a>! And I can't wait to meet you in our new parenting playground, <a href="http://www.iheartparenting.com/" target="_blank">I Heart Parenting</a>. You can check it out by following the link. We're still under construction, but we'll be up and running completely on Wednesday, May 1, 2013! Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-39286750924320165972013-04-21T18:55:00.001-07:002013-04-21T18:55:33.855-07:00Struggling with Tantrums and Emotional Upsets?It seems like we're all there at one point or another. I've noticed that it is more likely to occur when I'm least able to handle it.<br />
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One of my clients described his daughter falling apart and laying in the middle of the sidewalk like a starfish, sobbing and screaming.<br />
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Other clients relay situations where it is a fight to get out the door every morning. Or every time they need to get buckled up. At bath time. Or when their child needs to get dressed. Or when it is time to eat. Or when anything changes, unexpectedly or not.<br />
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I hear about these situations so often. It seems that we're all looking for sensitive ways of handling these overwhelming moments with our children. But we're not always sure how to respond with love, especially when it is overwhelming for us. Or when we've been taught that they should just "get over it."<br />
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I'm going to be hosting a f.ree call coming up on Monday, April 29 at 8:30pm eastern on this very topic. And the BEST part is that I am going to answer YOUR questions! I need your help, though. <b>I need to know what you are struggling with when it comes to your children's tantrums and emotional upsets.</b><br />
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While I can't offer you a magic wand (as many of you have requested), <b>I can offer you an alternative way of looking at what's happening with your child when things are falling apart. </b><br />
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Please join us for the call by signing up <a href="http://mywebmakeover.com/pages/cp/tantrums/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<b>And please submit your questions in the comments below.</b> I'll also be pulling questions from my blog post, <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.blogspot.com/2012/02/alternative-view-of-tantrums-and.html" target="_blank">An Alternative View of Tantrums and Emotional Upsets</a> from reader's comments there, but I really want to hear from YOU.<br />
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This call will be recorded, but it is always best to join us live when you can. <br />
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<br />Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-8559264567206049002013-04-04T12:28:00.002-07:002013-04-04T12:28:48.231-07:00Rebecca's No Good, Very Bad Day Turn AroundI woke up one morning last week and before I had even rolled out of bed, I realized that my day was going to be completely different than the one I envisioned before I went to sleep last night. A series of text messages greeted me with things I needed to take care of that I just hadn't anticipated. That followed by several emails I wasn't expecting with more things I needed to do.<br />
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My head began to spin. I wanted to just go back to bed.<br />
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My house hadn't burned down. There was nothing catastrophic. But I was rattled. My to do list had just more than doubled and I had challenges I wasn't sure how I was going to work out yet, including needing the Harry Potter wizardry required to be in two locations 25 miles apart at nearly the same time. At rush hour. During tourist season. On the Gulf coast of Florida.<br />
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Now normally, I am a really good problem solver. I take pen to paper and write out everything that needs to happen and I work it out. Or I just stare at Facebook for a while until I'm ready to move forward.<br />
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But I had a full day planned already. Between clients and work with colleagues and events with my kids, I didn't have time to just stare idly at my computer. Drats.<br />
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One of the things I've learned through all the years I've been teaching brain-based, relationship-centered information that is now in my book <a href="http://www.consciouslyparenting.com/" target="_blank">Consciously Parenting: What it Really Takes to Raise Emotionally Healthy Families</a> is that when we're dysregulated (not in a calm, rational place), we need connection and contact with other people. There was a very, very long time in my life where it was just too painful for me to reach out when I was having a hard time, so I've had to learn how to do this. It doesn't come naturally for me. But I've had enough practice now and had enough wherewithall to pick up the phone and reach out to a good friend to talk it through once I finally admitted that I was getting nowhere with the piece of paper. (Or Facebook)<br />
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I found myself lamenting, as I often hear my clients do, about how there was nothing catastrophic, so why was I feeling like such a mess? Why couldn't I do this by myself? I didn't see the reason I was so out of sorts. Why couldn't I just pick myself up and move on? I hadn't had breakfast and it was nearly 11am. My thinking was cloudy. My desk was a mess. I couldn't find papers I needed. But my friend didn't judge me. He didn't tell me that I was being unreasonable. He simply said, "It sounds like you're on that yellow thingie you talk about in your workshops."<br />
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Yes, yellow light. Emotional brain. I couldn't think clearly because I wasn't firing on all cylinders. When someone is on a yellow light, I advise everyone slow down and just stop for a little while. Going full speed ahead, while it is what we cognitively think is the best idea, will only lead to more trouble, more dysregulation.<br />
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Just yesterday, I had a mom who shared a story about when her daughter was on a yellow light. She knew it was best if they just stay home because her daughter was having a hard time, but that "rational" brain took over and she found herself, with her child now in a full-blown tantrum, getting on the bus to go to their scheduled activity. They didn't make it far before she realized it was not going to work out and they got off the bus to walk back home.<br />
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I listen to my clients and learn from their examples. Well, I'd like to think I do, anyway.<br />
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I found myself asking out loud, "What do I need when I feel like this?" My wise friend simply said, "I'm not sure what you need." And then he was quiet and he waited.<br />
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Finally, in that silence, I knew that I needed a hug. I needed to be in direct contact with someone who cared about me. It's always a risk to reach out to someone else. I found it interesting that Lissa Rankin wrote about this very topic that same day in her newsletter (vulnerability vs neediness). I knew what I needed and I knew there was a chance that the person I decided to ask may or may not be able to meet that need at that time. But I've learned over the past few years that it is important to ask. If I don't ask, no one knows what I need and no one is going to meet that need.<br />
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So, I held my breath and asked.<br />
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Turns out it was doable. I got my hug, was held for a little while, and then I was able to go on with my day, fully emotionally present. Not just getting by or compensating, like I would have otherwise done.<br />
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Connection really does heal.<br />
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I write about how there is nothing more important than relationships. But I live it, too. Sometimes it isn't very pretty, but that's not what is most important. The most important thing is that I embrace myself and my journey and all the messiness that goes along with it. After all, this is Consciously Parenting, not Perfectly Parenting.<br />
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What an important experience this turned out to be for me! As I think about my kids and the bad days they occasionally have, it does help to remember that sometimes we all just need some quiet time with someone who cares about us. A hug, some down time, a snuggle, a nice foot rub, like my 9 year-old likes after a hard day, can all make the difference and completely turn a "bad" day around. It's like an emotional band-aid. Balm for a wound.<br />
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What do you do when your life gets messy? What do you do that turns your day around? Please share with us in the comments below.Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-82981649901769381062013-03-20T08:17:00.001-07:002013-03-20T08:17:23.078-07:00When you give your best and it's not enoughOne of my clients recently was talking about the anguish she felt as her marriage was ending. She was working hard to speak kindly about her soon to be ex-husband in front of their children, remembering that this was a person in pain. But something she said really struck me. She said, "It is so hard when you give your best and it's not enough."<br />
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She was talking about her marriage, but this is also something that I've heard from so many of my parents who are struggling with their kids. They feel like they are trying so hard to be this parent who is loving and kind and patient and they feel they're constantly falling short. I liken it to an imaginary measuring stick and they just aren't measuring up.<br />
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We can be really hard on ourselves sometimes. (Christy Farr of <a href="http://seedsandweedscoaching.com/" target="_blank">Seeds and Weeds Coaching</a> and I talked about this topic a couple of weeks ago on our new radio show, <a href="http://my.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents" target="_blank">True North Parents</a>. You can listen to that episode <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents/2013/03/06/mommy-guilt" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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This isn't to say that we shouldn't strive to change. To grow. To be better people and better parents to our children.<br />
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On the contrary, I know that parenting has made me a much better person. Perfect? No way. Just ask my kids. They'll tell you.<br />
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But I learned a long time ago that I get nowhere when I handle something in a way I didn't intend to and then I spend the next 2 days beating myself up for it. When something happens and then I disappear into self-loathing, I've just left my kids without the benefit of a loving parent at just the moment when they need me to be there with them. It took me a long while, but I finally figured out that my kids don't need me to be perfect. They need me to be with them. To acknowledge when I mess up. To be real.<br />
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What if, when you have a "bad" (read "real" instead) parenting moment, you told yourself that you are doing the best you can in this moment? What if you treated yourself with the same compassion you want your children to feel when they make a mistake? What if, at the end of the day, instead of counting all the things you did "wrong" as a parent, you noted all those little things that you did well?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAGaHkhPgHcForhcGqO4k7pBKvPXj8MihBqUWNbsD6KKQd3IVPA5TGeNetgPv8PAZGtSZJvNMXax9Kvpcvy5ht6MosMRs_Jixt3zxIPqmlZeC9bIhBkzucM1ahJoku-IktB988RmiBXm5/s1600/309957_10150791497502117_2041620588_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAGaHkhPgHcForhcGqO4k7pBKvPXj8MihBqUWNbsD6KKQd3IVPA5TGeNetgPv8PAZGtSZJvNMXax9Kvpcvy5ht6MosMRs_Jixt3zxIPqmlZeC9bIhBkzucM1ahJoku-IktB988RmiBXm5/s320/309957_10150791497502117_2041620588_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you, Susan Graham for this illustration.</td></tr>
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A long time ago, I read a book called <i>Confessions of an Organized Homemaker</i>. I've read this book no less than 25 times. I'm serious. I think I've got it somewhat down now. But one of the things the author, Deniece Schofield, says is to <i><b>compare yourself only to yourself</b> </i>6 months, a year, or five years ago, <i>never to others</i>. We always see the best of others from the outside and we always see our worst and compare that, so only look at your own progress. That helped me through many, many years of learning how to keep my house clean enough and organized enough that I could function, at minimum. When I look back at how far I've come, I know she'd be proud. (I should probably send her a thank you email...) But one of the tricks I learned is to observe what I'd still like to work on and feel gratitude for myself for the progress I was making.<br />
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Later today, I'll be going live on my Blogtalk Radio show, <a href="http://my.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents" target="_blank">True North Parents</a>, with Christy Farr and we're going to be talking about a related topic: <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents/2013/03/20/mommy-wars-finding-our-common-ground" target="_blank">Mommy Wars</a>. It is really an extension of this topic because that same compassion we can extend to ourselves is what we can extend to others. Or not. When we have compassion for ourselves, our own story, and our own journey, we can do the same for others. <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents/2013/03/20/mommy-wars-finding-our-common-ground" target="_blank">Mommy Wars</a> really come out of this place of not being able to give compassion to ourselves and our own choices and being disconnected from others. It is kind of the road rage of the parenting world. Road Rage happens when we dehumanize others, when we're disconnected. Please join us and let us know your thoughts. The shows are archived, so even if you missed it or can't join us live, you can still follow the <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents/2013/03/20/mommy-wars-finding-our-common-ground" target="_blank">same link</a> and listen to the show.<br />
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I'd love to hear what your biggest stressors have been with other parents about parenting. How have you shifted your own understanding so you have more compassion for other parents? For yourself? Please post in the comments below!Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-47052276059009531302013-02-26T21:33:00.000-08:002013-02-26T21:34:23.680-08:00True North Parents Radio- Road Blocks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just wanted to take a moment and express my gratitude for all of you who reached out to me after <a href="http://consciouslyparenting.blogspot.com/2013/02/finding-my-own-true-north-personal.html" target="_blank">my last post about my marriage ending</a>. I sincerely appreciate your kind words and your prayers. Many of you expressed concerns about your own relationships, so I'll be looking at this as a future topic to discuss on my blog and in my classes.<br />
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My own authentic path has been full of road blocks. Just seriously completely littered with them. And I hear so many moms say they know what they need to do, but something gets in the way. And this is with everything. From what decisions to make about parenting to taking time for yourself, we struggle.<br />
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So once you've made the decision to find YOUR true north, what is in between that decision and actually living it? It isn't a straight shot. There is NO magic wand (not yet, anyway, though I've had several clients request I work on creating one). So how do we get through it? What does it look like?<br />
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In just a few short hours, Christy Farr, of <a href="http://www.seedsandweedscoaching.com/" target="_blank">Seeds and Weeds Coaching</a>, and I will be back on the air to talk about <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents" target="_blank">Road Blocks to YOUR authentic path</a>.<br />
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<br />
This is good stuff.<br />
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We've all had those moments when we *know what we need to do. Or we have an insight into something that is going on with our child. Yet, for some reason, we don't act on it. We discount it. We listen to someone else who we think <i>knows</i> more than we do about our own life.<br />
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If you're going to live your own authentic path, it is essential to understand how we get stuck. This helps us to figure out how to get <b>un</b>stuck!<br />
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The call is live Wednesday, February 27 at 1pm EST. But it is INTERNET radio, which means that you can listen on your computer when it is happening OR you can listen to it later from your computer on the same link. Join us <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Last week, we had a few technical issues. Thanks for hanging in there with us anyway. Hopefully this week will go more smoothly. It's a whole lot like parenting. Show up and hang on because you NEVER know what's going to happen! See you soon!<br />
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<br />Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-61476982047959162802013-02-21T11:20:00.000-08:002013-02-21T11:20:55.530-08:00Finding MY own True North: A personal acknowledgmentI've always had a certain level of openness about my life on my blog, in my classes and in my books. I want you all to know that I am a real person with real struggles and challenges. While I have figured out a lot of things, it isn't because life has come easily for me. And that's the way it is for many of you who are reading this post right now.<br />
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<br />
This past year has been one of the most difficult years of my life.<br />
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It has also been one of the most deeply healing. (I'll get to that more later in another post...)<br />
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About six years ago when I first really began repairing the ruptures in relationships in my family, I had a question. Could a marriage that wasn't in a good place be fully repaired if one person in the marriage was really dedicated to working on it? And if not, could one dedicated parent use this relationship-focused paradigm alone and have everything work out? I was asking these questions for myself, as well as for my clients who were struggling in their marriages.<br />
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In the midst of writing books on raising emotionally healthy families, I realized (again) a glaring truth. The truth was that my marriage still wasn't in a good place after six or seven years of working on it. We weren't benefitting our children with the tension between us. Actively working on our marriage had allowed us to come to understand each other better, yet we realized that we really weren't happy together. And we hadn't been happy together for a long time.<br />
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Over a period of months, we talked. We cried. We listened to each other. And finally it became clear that the best path for both of us was to separate. We did so in September, with the words, "I love you and I release you."<br />
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Since September, my energy has been going inward for my own healing process and to support my children. Even under what Ryan and I both consider fairly good circumstances, this has been exhausting and overwhelming at times. At the same time, it has also become very clear that this was the absolute right decision for all of us.<br />
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No one gets married to one day get a divorce. It was not on my radar until I simply couldn't deny the difficult place my relationship was still in after such a long time. My dedication to my family is still paramount, but Ryan and I have agreed that we can work together to parent much more effectively living in different houses.<br />
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So, for me, the answer to my question in my particular set of circumstances is that I cannot parent the way that I want to when I am living in unresolvable conflict with my partner. As much as divorce carries wounds for the children, growing up in an environment where there isn't deep love and respect in the marriage also carries its own wounds. Living apart, Ryan and I are actually able to love and respect each other more than when we were living together.<br />
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This has been a year of finding and living my true north. It hasn't been an easy year and it still presents many challenges ahead, but I know that I am living my truth. While it isn't the truth that I'd hoped and planned for, it is mine and I am grateful.Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-19751173439954371542013-02-20T07:00:00.000-08:002013-02-20T12:18:33.104-08:00Finding YOUR own True North<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E9n11nGSB7SkL0udVWEkOpnfE5zZJBht2OfCEobJdjW38J97JLIAyBeZtmcpKFmUj570yxRd6N9wTbj5rAI8sShXbJ1iRsteevLHH6Ws_doZQXSeQZ1mo51f-8CTJTwzYGFbQ4bEnRGt/s1600/TrueNorthParents-logo-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E9n11nGSB7SkL0udVWEkOpnfE5zZJBht2OfCEobJdjW38J97JLIAyBeZtmcpKFmUj570yxRd6N9wTbj5rAI8sShXbJ1iRsteevLHH6Ws_doZQXSeQZ1mo51f-8CTJTwzYGFbQ4bEnRGt/s200/TrueNorthParents-logo-small.jpg" width="200" /></a>I was talking to a friend about my first radio show topic, <span id="goog_1717128300"></span><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents/2013/02/20/finding-your-authentic-parenting-path" target="_blank">Finding Your Own True North</a><span id="goog_1717128301"></span>. "How did you find your true north?" I asked. He said, "That's easy. Something tragic happens, you emerge from the fog, eventually, and suddenly everything is more clear and you know what's important and what's not." He had lost his wife suddenly a couple of years before. That kind of loss, I've seen from my clients, brings clarity when someone finds their way through to living life again.<br />
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For many of us, our parenting journey becomes a catalyst for discovering who we really are and what is important to us. My guest, Christy Farr, shared how a miscarriage at 12 weeks was the beginning of her empowerment: knowing what was important to her and then being able to take action. For me, it was choosing a midwife instead of an obstetrician when I took my first steps toward what was really true for me.<br />
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But outside of those big wake-up calls some of us have experienced directly or indirectly, how do we find our way? How do we know which decisions are right for us and our family and which decisions are not a good fit? <b>How do we find our own True North?</b><br />
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True North is a directional term from the days when we used compasses to find our way. Turns out there is a difference between True North and North on a compass. A compass points to magnetic north and that changes over time. True North doesn't change, but can be harder to find. I read pages of ways to find True North if you're camping and without a compass. It reminded me a bit of those horrible math problems we all had to solve about trains traveling different directions at different speeds that just made my head spin. Some of the examples for finding True North included putting a stick in the ground, marking certain angles, standing on your head, waiting 15 minutes... And so it is with parenting and finding your own True North. Sometimes I think it is most helpful if you do some headstands and twirl around a bit to really get oriented in parenting.<br />
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In life's journey and on our journey as parents, which can be harrowing or hilly, when we know where our True North is, things are somewhat easier or at least it feels better than when we don't know our True North or are ignoring it. When we know what is important to us and we're able to voice what is important, we can more easily navigate on our day-to-day journey. But how do we know what to do?<br />
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Join me today for my very first <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents/2013/02/20/finding-your-authentic-parenting-path" target="_blank">Blogtalk Radio show</a> where I explored this very topic with my friend and colleague, Christy Farr! You can listen to the archived version here. Show airs Wednesdays at 1pm EST (NY). You can even call in with your questions or post them in the comments section and I'll try to answer them. On the page, there is even a spot for you to chat with me and ask questions without having to pick up your phone.<br />
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So have you found your own True North? Did it take a big event in your life to make things clear or did you find your own way one small step at a time? Or maybe both? I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to add your thoughts to the comment section below.<br />
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Thanks for joining me on my latest adventure!Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-16172696745336797862013-02-19T08:00:00.000-08:002013-02-19T12:33:19.893-08:00New Radio Show!! True North Parents Wednesdays at 1pm EST<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eAg-9i058ivwsVlVX42EOYws2-WTTw9mPM6mxckJOwsTYdrDAUG2tba7B2Hie-QJW7q8OK3zKYsYDtubx6RuTUdbM4MEB46OmXKE3pv3p__98vT0jkQL-cTStmCAJH4oK4pMpYid0Zxe/s1600/TrueNorthParents-logo-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eAg-9i058ivwsVlVX42EOYws2-WTTw9mPM6mxckJOwsTYdrDAUG2tba7B2Hie-QJW7q8OK3zKYsYDtubx6RuTUdbM4MEB46OmXKE3pv3p__98vT0jkQL-cTStmCAJH4oK4pMpYid0Zxe/s320/TrueNorthParents-logo-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents">http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents</a></td></tr>
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<br />
I've been talking about having my own radio show now for about 2 years. The time seems right and the star have aligned. And guess what?! It starts THIS week!<br />
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I'll be learning to ride the bicycle as I build the bicycle, so bear with me and my learning curve. But this is going to be good fun!<br />
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I'm going to be talking about all the topics that I struggled with as a parent (and things I'm still trying to navigate) and the things that I always wanted to sit around with my parent friends and have a good discussion about. I'll be talking about those topics I see many parents struggle with. I'll be sharing my personal stories and stories from parents who have worked their way through (and maybe some parents who are still trying to find their way...). This show is meant to be interactive and you're invited to call in to join me, share your stories, and ask your questions. Shows will be recorded and archived, so you can always listen to them later.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents" target="_blank">My show</a> will be live Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern time (NY time). Follow <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents" target="_blank">this link</a> to "follow" me on Blogtalk Radio. This is also where you'll go to listen to the show.<br />
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<b>The first show will be THIS Wednesday, February 18 at 1pm NY time.</b> I'll be talking about finding YOUR own authentic path and some ideas for navigating all the parenting information out there. The show will be 30 minutes long, which sounds just about right.<br />
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I hope you'll <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/truenorthparents" target="_blank">join me</a>!<br />
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<b>Coming up in the next few weeks on True North Parents Radio:</b><br />
<b>Wed, Feb 27-</b> Road Blocks to True North: How we get stuck and what to do about it<br />
<b>Wed, March 6-</b> Mommy Guilt: Releasing Yourself so your family can Thrive!<br />
<b>Wed, March 13-</b> What is an Emotionally Healthy Family anyway? Can we get there from here?<br />
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Let me know if there is something specific you'd like to talk about, someone you'd like me to interview, or suggestions for the show please post in the comments section below. I'm working on my schedule for March and April now. Join me!Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0Dunedin, FL, USA28.0197404 -82.77176839999998527.9076259 -82.933129899999983 28.1318549 -82.610406899999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7871823249683469928.post-16024290946225936432013-02-18T07:18:00.000-08:002017-04-06T12:46:34.532-07:00Our Real Beliefs About Connection<span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Hello! This post has moved to our website. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">You can find it here: </span><span style="color: #7ba2d3; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://consciouslyparenting.com/our-real-beliefs-about-connection/">http://consciouslyparenting.com/our-real-beliefs-about-connection/</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">See you there!</span><br />
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<br />Rebecca Thompson, M.S., MFThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881608451307053262noreply@blogger.com0