Mindful Moments Blog
Mindful Moments Blog
Unlocking Potential: The Power of Child-Led Play in Artistic Expression
Learn how child-led art and play unlock your child's full potential, boost creativity, and support emotional growth in a fun, pressure-free way.
Mindful Moments Blog
Montessori Parenting Techniques for Teaching Emotional Intelligence
What is so special about the montessori parenting style? Learn how Montessori parenting can instill emotional intelligence in your children.
Mindful Moments Blog
Building Strong Foundations: Insight from an Early Childhood Professional
Rosemarie Lawton is the Director of Professional Development at The Child Care Council of Orange County and longtime GENM advocate. Her company works diligently with families and childcare providers, with their primary purpose being to coordinate, assist, strengthen, and expand child care in Orange County for all children.
Mindful Moments Blog
This Sucks and I Am Drowning, and Hey, How Are You Doing?
When my kids were babies, I didn’t want to read articles titled, “10 Ways to Make Bathtime More Enriching.” I wanted to read about other moms who were fishing craisin-speckled feces out of the tub with a bath toy while swearing and silently weeping.
I didn’t want to read, “5 Screen-Free Restaurant Activities for Your Kids.” I wanted another mom to tell me that she burned with resentment when the kids needed her to take them potty just as the food arrived because of course they were both girls and she was the only parent who ever had to take kids to the potty in public.
I didn’t even glean anything useful from “The Bedtime Routine That Will 100% Work for You No Matter Your Child’s Age, Your Personality Type, or Your Life Situation.” But I did appreciate that other moms put earbuds in and sat in the hallway drinking wine while their kids sobbed explosively from their tiny toddler beds.
I rolled my eyes at “How to Know Whether Your Kids Are Well Rounded” and gobbled up essays where moms disclosed that they had their kids in daycare even though they weren’t working. I wanted to read that I wasn’t messing up my kids’ lives because I sucked at crafts or said bad words or craved alone time.
I wanted to read that other moms also preferred their children in small doses.
That their mornings were a disaster and that they couldn’t seem to stick with chore charts and that their kid went through a biting phase too but that the older toddler who got in their kid’s face at the play area totally had that shoulder bite coming.
Now that I have a tween and a teenager, I am equally disinterested in “Communication Strategies Guaranteed to Work for Your Teen;” “Boundaries 101 for Moms of Teenage Girls;” “Read These 42 Books To Make Sure Your Kid Has Healthy Relationships, “ and “5 Ways to Tell If Your Kid is A Basketcase.”
I do not want to hear that the struggles we are dealing with now mean my child is going to “find her people” in college and change the world, even if I secretly believe this deep in my heart (please, please let it be true).
Here’s what I want to read.
I want to hear from other parents that this era of their lives sucks too.
I want to read the stories of moms who cry in the shower and feel like they are having panic attacks at Target when they see a kid who bullied their kid at school.
I want to read about how they feel like screaming in people’s faces until their throat is raw.
I want them to tell me that they understand how hard it is to discern when to advocate and when to quietly retreat.
I want to read real, gritty stories about how messed up society is and how we aren’t the crazy ones.
I want to hear your gut-wrenching story and I want you to tell me that you see yourself in my words.
There is no manual.
I want to be reminded that there is no one "right" parenting manual. There wasn’t when my kids were small, and there isn’t now.
Bring me your stories about how worried you are about your kids. Maybe you think they are liars or lazy or hoarders or basic or too weird or too much or you’re terrified they are going to lose themselves or get swallowed whole.
Tell me about how you cried at their final concert because your kid was being bullied and decided to quit the band.
Tell me how angry you are, that it isn’t fair and it isn’t right and I’ll tell you you aren’t crazy and you can tell me I’m not either.
All I have ever wanted in this world of writing and reading about parenthood is to read the real stuff.
The spaces for mothers to write honestly about motherhood are being rapidly displaced, making way for “reported essays,” where experts give you something helpful to share so people don’t think you’re a navel-gazing basketcase with poor boundaries because you want to write a story that has essentially no point except this: This sucks, I am drowning, and hey, how are you doing?
I guess that was the beauty of the (gag, don’t make me say it) “mommy blogging” era, a time when really, our writing had no point. It existed only to exist, to be read, to land on soft ground where another mom would say, “God, that feels like me.”
I know there are a lot of uplifting resources out there.
And, if you’ve shared them with me, thank you. Of course, I want to read and learn and have hope and be strong and do better.
In fact, a bunch of stuff that I said I didn’t want to hear up there, I actually appreciate and attempt to integrate. Really.
But you get the point. Sometimes, I just want to write with no solution required and no problems solved.
And maybe, sometimes, you just want to read with no solution outlined, no problems solved, and no learning or new skills acquired.
So much has changed since the days when I gritted my teeth on the floors of public restrooms trying to shove chubby legs through pull-up holes and cover the sensor on the back of the toilet that scared the Bejeezus out of my kids.
But so much about me hasn’t changed.
The kind of parent I am.
The kind of writing I do.
The type of people I want to talk to. It’s my dogs, guys. The people I want to talk to are like my dogs.
So tell me, how the hell are you doing with this parenting era, whatever it looks like for you? I’ll listen. No “how-to” lists, bullet points, or expert commentary is required.
Need some inspiration? We got 'ja.
Print this and remember the "AND"... we can feel overwhelmed and BE ENOUGH, all at the very same time.
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Mindful Moments Blog
Play Is More Than Just Fun at Philadelphia's Children's Museum
In collaboration with Generation Mindful, Philadelphia's Please Touch Children's Museum takes a bold step forward in creating a world where all children are able to exercise creativity, compassion, confidence, and social-emotional skills as it opens its new exhibit XOXO: The Exhibit About Love And Forgiveness.
Mindful Moments Blog
After an emotions check-in, Selina leads a mindful moment to tap into our resilience zone and brings us back into our center when we step outside of our resilience zone through breath work and words from Maya Angelou.
Mindful Moments Blog
Virtual Calming Corner Teaches Kids About Emotions Playfully
How do we teach social-emotional learning (SEL) to our children?
Mindful Moments Blog
Time-Outs Affect The Developing Brain
Separation-based techniques, like the popular time-out approach, use what children care most about against them.
Mindful Moments Blog
Don’t Take Your Child's Behavior Personally
Have you ever been on the receiving end of your child’s angry outburst? It’s hard not to take it personally. But as it turns out, it’s not a result of poor parenting or a sign that your child is on the wrong track. It’s all due to your child’s developing brain.
Mindful Moments Blog
Parenting DUI's Affect A Child's Self-Worth
In all of our loving intent, we sometimes commit parenting DUI's, which can send our children into a protective response. Here are 3 ways to break the cycle, not only for your child but for your inner child, too.
Mindful Moments Blog
It happens subconsciously, but it happens. Our brain judges and labels every input we receive. And since parenting offers us a constant and endless stream of input, at some point, we stop parenting young human beings and start parenting labels instead. Here's how to break the cycle.
Mindful Moments Blog
Are you feeling overwhelmed by parenting lately? Perhaps a bit lost? It’s no secret that this parenting gig is tricky. Here are some reasons why you may benefit from a parenting coach.
Mindful Moments Blog
What if I was done? Complete. Leaving me incomplete. Longing to be a work in progress. Round around the edges. Potential yet realized.
Mindful Moments Blog
Accepting Ourselves And Our Children While Embracing Growth And Change
The desire to do better can exist in and of itself. It doesn’t have to be driven by a dislike or disgust of who you are now. Here are 3 steps toward self-acceptance.
Mindful Moments Blog
5 Connection-Based Ways To Support Your Child Through Shyness
Does your child seem slow to warm up or hesitant to jump into social situations? Here are 5 connection-based ways to support them through shyness (without muting their intuition or muddling their self-concept).
Mindful Moments Blog
Pretending To Be Calm Is Not Helping Our Children
Many of us believe that if we can remain calm no matter what and teach our children to do the same then we have successfully mastered self-regulation. But true regulation has nothing to do with achieving a certain state. It's in noticing and responding to whatever emotion you are feeling.
Mindful Moments Blog
Meltdowns Develop Your Child's Brain When Met With Connection; Punishment Doesn't Work
Toddlers are one of the most authentic creatures on the planet, and also, arguably, the most misunderstood. On the surface, we see meltdowns, defiance, and limit testing. But there’s so much more than what meets the eye.
Mindful Moments Blog
If It All Feels Heavy Today, Read This
There are millions of beautiful moments in parenting and also, sometimes, it feels hard. If you’re finding yourself in a heavy season today, or if you are having trouble recognizing yourself, here are 5 pieces of encouragement.
Mindful Moments Blog
When Your Child Says "I Hate You!"
When your child says “I hate you!” you might find yourself getting defensive or you may feel the urge to assert control over the situation. The key to getting to the root of the challenge is to look beyond the hurtful words to figure out what’s going on for them emotionally. What are they really saying?
Mindful Moments Blog
Toddlerhood is a precious time. We do our kids and ourselves a great injustice by assigning negative intent to their developmentally normal behaviors. Instead of going to war, let’s spend these quickly-passing years seeking to understand our little ones and rewrite the narrative on common myths.
