How To 'Hold Space' For Your Children

How To 'Hold Space' For Your Children

If you read my email last Sunday, you’ll remember a story about my 13 year old son’s anxiety as we were stranded on an island in the Pacific recently. If you missed it, check it out here: This Broke My Heart This is the part I want every parent to hear….almost everyone is struggling with anxiety. It may be so low level that you don’t recognize it as such, but…
This broke my heart...

This broke my heart...

“Will we be stuck here forever?” my son whimpered. He must have asked this question for the 150th time that day. I could feel a wave of anger wash over me. I breathed deeply, grounded myself. Closing my eyes, I needed to tap into every coping tool I had in my arsenal. We were stranded on The Galapagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the middle of the Pacific, when Covid-19…
The One Question Every Child Longs To Be Asked

The One Question Every Child Longs To Be Asked

My son and daughter are opposites. One spends a great deal of time in his head, he reads voraciously, worries over problems that don’t yet exist, plays by the rules and is happier when he knows exactly what to expect. Methodical and analytical, I can sense his mind strategizing how to optimize for the best outcome. My daughter marches to the beat of a different drummer. Completely carefree she lives…
Parenting Is A Gladiator Sport

Parenting Is A Gladiator Sport

My daughter has always been extremely expressive.  She’s the type of child who insists on sitting in at the parent-teacher interview and kindly expressing what isn’t working for her in the classroom, with suggestions for improvement. I’d sit and listen, careful not to quiet or hurry her truth. While I celebrated her courage to express feelings so honestly, I also felt unease with the impact this honest revelation might be having…
The Most Important Parenting Skill

The Most Important Parenting Skill

Recently, my son came over,  looked seriously into my eyes,  held my hand and said, “Mom, it’s not that you’re a bad cook…really, it’s just that I don’t LIKE anything you cook.” I felt a pang in my chest.  I could feel a rush of hurt swelling inside, my defenses started coming up, I wanted to prove him wrong, remind him that he did like my food, frantically I searched…
Letter To My Kids Teacher

Letter To My Kids Teacher

It’s back to school and I felt inspired to write a letter to each of my kids (Grade 1 and 2) teachers. If you are anything like me, you may have felt excitement and a bit nervous about how your kid/s will experience this new school year. The question for me was….“Will they thrive?”  I didn’t want to leave it up to chance. So I wrote down all the things…