“The greatest thing a father can do for his daughter, is love her mother.”
WORDS OF WISDOM
Imprinting…Unravelling an Over-Processed Approach to Parenting
The lifelong journey of parenting is one of the most relentless and rewarding you are likely to ever experience. This is an exciting, exhausting period where life’s experiences can be enjoyed and at times dismayed over. At times it may feel like a large exercise in troubleshooting, frustration and experimentation.
Self-care for Parents
Becoming a parent is perhaps one of the most rewarding life experiences one can have. For many, it can also be one of the most challenging and at times, downright exhausting period of adult life. Being a parent does not necessarily begin from the time your little bundle of joy arrives into this world.
Becoming a Parent … the bits we don’t talk about
The first few months after having a baby is a period of time like no other.
It is life stage that arrives after many months of growing a new life inside of you and constantly adjusting to all the biological and psychological changes that brings. The arrival of your baby is a powerful event, regardless of delivery style. Your infant must slowly unfurl into a world of bright lights, noise, pollution and new experiences and you must recover from a life-changing period of physical change and emotional upheaval.
In Pursuit of Happiness
There is a lot that’s said about happiness. Money can’t buy it, others can’t create it for you, stuff doesn’t lead to it, and neither does isolation. So we meditate, eat right, exercise, pray (or not), try our best to make real and lasting relationships, have stable jobs, and try to be nice to the ones we love. But how do we know if we are really getting there?
How to Commit to anger Management in Parenting
“I try so hard to change, but every time I vow never to get angry again, I just end up giving up, falling back into the same habits, and then I give up, feeling like a complete failure”
Being Perfectly Imperfect Part 2
There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to improve oneself throughout one’s life…that motivation for self-improvement is one of the cornerstones of the human experience and can be something that gives us a great sense of purpose of our time on this earth. But when that drive becomes one of a constant need to be perfect, it takes a lot away from us.
Take a Moment and Practice Unspoken Love
More often than not, family life feels very complicated. We often wonder if we are doing the right things to make our family members feel loved and supported, and whether or not we are spending our time in the right ways. As parents in particular, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to create a beautiful home-life for our children. But this alone can make us forget the most basic ways of expressing unconditional love.
14 Time- Saving Strategies for Busy Mums
1. Get Organised. It's amazing how many people spin their wheels each day looking for lost keys, phone numbers, the red shirt or a specific pair of shoes. Spend a weekend getting yourself organised.
2. Find Your Time-wasters. Keep track for one week of all the ways you waste time. Do you spend 10 minutes finding your keys? If so, make a key hook by your door, and use it. Do you forget "that one item" when you go to the store? Keep a list on your refrigerator and, each time you empty something, add it to the list.
Are you really seeing your child?
Have you ever stopped to consider the true emotional toll parenting takes on you? Not the obvious stuff like loss of sleep or the ever-present worry for your kids’ general well-being, but the constant, almost subconscious, mental scanning of your little one’s needs?
Being Perfectly Imperfect
Part 1
We are our own worst enemy. How many times have we heard this phrase?
In this modern age where everything seems to be functioning on crack and one error sometimes means the line between job security or dismissal. Or a difference of one grade marking the difference between securing an entry into the university and course of your choice or being relegated to something you will likely suffer through. It is no wonder that we, as a human species, have been nurtured to excel, to perform, to be extraordinarily meticulous to detail from a very young age for fear of falling short. In short, some of us have, over time, developed a rather interesting, and sometimes debilitating need, to be perfect.
To Honour Mothers Everywhere
BECOMING A MOTHER …. nothing compares
Time is running out for my friend. We are sitting at lunch when she casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of “starting a family.” What she means is that her biological clock has begun its countdown and she is being forced to consider the prospect of motherhood.
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle
Becoming a mother for the first time changes you. You are no longer responsible for only you, but have at least one other person completely reliant on you. This is often the time where it is easy to forget you are not only a mum or dad, but you also remain an individual with needs and aspirations of self.
The Motherhood ideal
Many of us enter the world of motherhood with higher expectations than, as soon becomes evident, can possibly be achieved. I love this quote from author, Debra Gilbert Rosenberg, which I think sums this up so beautifully:
20 Ways Motherhood Changed Me
Before I was a Mum
#1 I never looked into tiny teary eyes and cried.
#2 I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
#3 I never recognised the feeling of triumph in getting a baby to sleep.
#4 I had never been puked on, pooped on, chewed on or peed on.
#5 I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
The Emotional Well-being of Babies and Young Children
At the very beginning of family – with the much anticipated arrival of a brand new baby – excited parents undoubtedly want the very best for their newborn child. Often physical needs, such as comfort, warmth, hygiene, health and safety are foremost in parents’ minds. There may even be plans in place for future needs, such as childcare, health insurance and school choices. But what of a newborn’s mental health? A somewhat mystical consideration perhaps. Who knew that babies had a mental health and what is the best way to optimise this precious commodity for future wellbeing?
An Opportunity to Re-discover that Silver Lining to the Corona Lockdown for New Parents
After months of preparing for dreamy newborn days with partner by your side, friends and family visiting with hearty congratulations, admiration, gifts, love and hugs. Having the opportunity to proudly present your warm and soft, rather cute, newborn to the world, fresh with that unique newborn smell.
It’s Ok To Be Frightened Right Now
It’s Okay to be frightened right now … you are bringing a baby into a brave new world
Nobody said it was going to be easy. Nor will this changed time be over quickly. The world is changed forever. There is a great unknown and so many unanswerable questions, at the moment. The thought of being pregnant and having a baby at this historic time, with so much up in the air, may feel somewhat overwhelming, even frightening, but it WILL be OK.
Self-care for Parents
Becoming a parent is perhaps one of the most rewarding life experiences one can have. For many, it can also be one of the most challenging and at times, downright exhausting period of adult life. Being a parent does not necessarily begin from the time your little bundle of joy arrives into this world. For many, becoming a parent begins from the time one decides to become a parent. From the time your little one arrives into your world at whatever age, you have essentially committed yourself to nurturing this other life for at least the next 10-20 years.
The Impact of Mental Health Disorders during Pregnancy and in the Year Following
Mental health disorders often make it extremely difficult for new and expectant mothers to get through the day, let alone manage during pregnancy, respond to the needs of their infant or attend to other children.
Recent research has revealed that many depressed mothers describe feeling no joy. Instead they feel like they are down a black hole, numb, detached, alone and unable to cope or interact with their baby or their life.
Perinatal Mental Health
Pregnancy and adjusting to a new baby can be rewarding, but also brings changes and challenges. While some days will be better than others, for some women who experience mental health problems each day is a struggle.
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