Saying that there is a "START" line to something creates the assumption that there is a "FINISH" line. But when it comes to bettering yourself, your family, and the world around you .. there is never truly an end. What you learn and bring to surface in your life has to become a practice .. not just something you're doing. As I make my way through this journey I will be sharing all of my effort towards becoming a mindful parent (and overall human being). If knowledge of my journey can help another parent find their "START" line .. then it's all in great purpose.
What brought on this desire to change?
Honestly, I'm tired of yelling. Tired of "punishing." Tired of feeling bad after situations with my son. Tired of being off balance with my mate and our parenting techniques. Also, I'm ready. I'm ready to be more aware of the moments my children and I spend together. Ready to learn how to better understand them. Ready to feel like I'm bringing love, balance, and security to their world .. not just discipline and a firm hand.
My family makeup?
I am a fairly young mother (27 yrs old) of two boys. One is a 4.5 yrs old and very high energy. He's extremely smart and EXTREMELY mischievous. He has a hard time sitting idle for anything other than exactly what he wants to sit down to do. He's very affectionate, playful, and loving but definitely requires a lot of attention. Running, jumping, discovering, crashing, playing, laughing, flipping, etc .. that is my oldest son. :-)
My second son is a new born. So we have that new mommy dynamic thrown into all of this. People always say that with the first one you're flying blind, the second one you've got a pretty good routine down, by the third one you're just on auto pilot. :-) I want to use my growth to uplift my family .. and I want BOTH of my boys to benefit from that.
And my partner, my fiance, my lover, my best friend. We're the same age and share many of same ideas but have different views on parenting. She's more of the disciplinarian and iron fist. She wants our boys to understand that there are rules and they have to follow them .. a more "I say .. you do" approach. For me, I think that's becoming secondary to being an aware, fun loving, compassionate, respectful child. I think that the "following rules" part comes as a default when your children feel safe, comfortable, free to speak and have feedback, respected .. etc.
Why the blog?
Because the bumpy road less traveled is NOT always best traveled alone. While looking for information and direction towards this journey I wasn't able to find any mothers like me. Everyone speaking of their "mindful parenting" experience had degrees in child psychology, practiced Buddhism for years before having children, writes children's books, is one of those "totally hands on, my kids are home schooled" kind of mothers, and so on. No one was a parent simply looking to improve their families lives and themselves. So what of other mothers looking this direction? Where do they go to know that they are not alone and there are trials on this journey .. it will NOT always be easy .. and with blossoming tots (and real world situations) things will get rocky. Find security in my experiences mommy (or daddy) and know that your family (and the world around you) will benefit greatly from your willingness to the first step.
Next: Look out for a list of things I intend to implement, current reading, sites for reference, and much more! <3
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