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Unconditional Positive Regard: Why It Matters for Kids
I have a lot of work to do on myself. If I don’t, I’m at risk of passing along my issues and my trauma to others. Several times a day I think: “I’m too messed up to be a good parent! I’m messing up my kids!” Or I think, “I haven’t done enough self-work to be the kind of leader my team deserves.” In those moments, I take a deep and try to remind myself that we are all on a journey. We are all doing our best. One of the things I am trying to work on the most is unconditional positive regard.
Unconditional positive regard comes from … Read More
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Parenting Rituals: Which Ones Have Stuck?
You all know I’m a planner. On top of that, I’m also optimistic and overly-ambitious! That’s why I wanted to check in about our parenting rituals to see which ones have stood the test of time. We are now 8 years in with our first child and nearly 6 years in with our second.
Parenting Rituals: End of Year Books
When the boys first went to daycare/school, I bought them copies of Oh, the Places You’ll Go and started asking their teachers to write goodbye messages when the boys were graduating from their classes. My aunt bought the book for me when I graduated from high school, and it has … Read More
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Family Goals: An Update on How We Are Doing
This is our fourth year of doing Family Goals, and I really like it! I find that it’s so easy to fall into a rut on weekends. With Family Goals in place, we are more motivated to stretch beyond “business as usual.”
Two weekends ago, for example, we made progress toward two goals. First, we hosted our fifth gathering of friends/neighbors this year at our monthly Saturday Supper. Since it’s a potluck, there’s really no excuse not to do it. I barely even pick up our house in preparation for it. It’s really relaxing and fun to just hang out with people in the backyard.
On Sunday, we … Read More