#parentingishardsometimes

Little excerpt from an older article of mine ❤️ “Although being a parent is the greatest joy of my life, if I must be completely honest, it is so much harder than I ever thought it would be. I thought it would come naturally, because I had always longed for the day I got to become someone’s mom. But what I realized was, I was so detached from my own inner voice, my own needs, that it was next to impossible to understand what my child needed from me. I had to reconnect with my inner spirit before I could make sense of, or have the strength to really dive into motherhood. But when I did, I became the person I was always meant to be. She was lost, but motherhood dug her back out, dusted her off and said “your authentic self is needed. This shell of a person will not do for these precious little one’s.” I did not see myself as worthy of living a joyful authentic life, but I did see my children as worthy of having an authentic attachment figure. So despite the immense urge to curl up and hide, I instead pushed forward with my self-reflection and self-discovery and found my inner voice. She was so quiet in the beginning. A little squeak saying “can you please pay attention to me for a minute, if it’s not to much trouble?” But I kept listening to her, I kept giving her space to feel heard and validated. I spent time understanding her needs and then meeting them. And as she felt more heard, more nurtured, she became louder. Before I knew it, her voice took over. She now fights for her place in my mind, but she is heard, and she takes up more and more space everyday.” Continued in my blog, link in bio @responsive_parenting EDITED TO ADD: Lots of questions about tools and strategies I’ve used over the years, on my healing journey. I created a Guide to Survival Mode Plans as a compilation of some of these tools. There is a link in my bio #responsiveparenting #jmilburn #postpartumsupport #maternalmentalhealth #postpartumjourney #parentingishardsometimes #innerchildhealing #innerchildwork https://www.instagram.com/p/CWw4tm2sBw9/?utm_medium=tumblr

I believe that teaching accountability and taking responsibility, which basically sounds like the same thing is in shortage. I don’t always like swallowing those hard pills myself, but I do recognize it’s 100% tied back to the kind of person I want to be and definitely the kind of parent I want to be. I’m sure my kids are sick and tired of hearing me tell them to take ownership and responsibility for their actions/choices but too bad. I don’t plan on stopping. We are in charge of ourselves but we are not responsible for other people’s actions. Blaming someone or something is not the solution. I may not like it myself at times, but I am working on it. #beaccountable #takeresponsibilityforyouractions #dontblame #youhaveachoiceeveryday #parentingishardsometimes #lovethemandteachthem #settheexample #takeownershipofyourlife https://www.instagram.com/p/BxAHgvnnoik/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=zmibu8htxs90

We always seem to post the ‘perfect’ family moments so I captured a really difficult one. My boy was seriously unhappy and all I could do was take him to sit in Trafalgar Square while he moaned and cried for an hour! The rest of the family carried on with the Day treasure hunting. It’s not always easy being a parent especially not knowing what to do to ‘fix’ it! I wanted to share a very real situation to show you’re not alone 💕 #supporteachother #parentingishardsometimes #youarenotalone #littlelegsltd (at Trafalgar Square)