At its best, parenting is about showing up for ourselves and our children as often as we can, with as much kindness as we can muster. When we do that, over and over again, we are getting parenting right, even when it feels like we are doing everything wrong.
We are showing our children, in the most powerful and meaningful way possible, that we love them, that we are committed to them, and that they are worthy of our time, attention, and energy.
And each time we make the choice to focus on our own needs, we’re telling ourselves that we matter deeply as well, and we are modeling the importance of self-awareness and self-care.
Our commitment to staying grounded is what allows us to show up for the unpredictability, boredom, and confusion of parenting again and again. Each time we do this, we are showing ourselves that we are good parents, capable of loving another person more than we ever thought possible, and able to endure the hardest work we may have ever done.
Practicing something – anything – isn’t always fun, and we can feel frustrated and defeated at times. Fortunately, the power of practice is that we get better at it. And I believe everyone can get better at parenting.
You can read the rest of this post over at Seleni.org.
