Parents, Families + Caregivers

We get so caught up in taking care of everyone that we forget to pause and connect with ourselves. That pause matters. It’s how we model the way we want to be treated, and the way our kids can learn to treat themselves.

So much of it is basic: how to tone down a heated moment, reset the energy, and teach our kids self-regulation, calm and groundedness, without being too woo-woo.

It’s meeting people where they are. Seeing them. Letting them know they matter and they belong. How do you sit with someone and let them know you’re there, you love them, you’re not judging, and that together you’ll figure it out?

It’s simple, but we move at such an accelerated rate that it’s not always easy. I keep going back to this: if I had known it when my kids were younger, I would have parented very differently. I have no regrets, and I’m still a good parent. But I wish I’d had the knowledge I have today about brain science and how our nervous systems work. It all makes so much sense, and I love sharing it, along with fun ways to navigate tough situations so they’re not so scary.

Having raised six kids in a small house, with a lot of anxiety, laughter, heartache and joy, I know this: we are all so much stronger than we are ever led to believe.