#truelove #allowing #dating GPS for the Soul - The Huffington Post A Year's Worth Of Wisdom From HuffPost Parents Bloggers From babyhood to graduation and beyond, we proudly present a selection of the many, many lessons we learned from HuffPost Parents bloggers in 2013.
THE EARLY DAYS
YOU ARE GOING TO SUCK AT THIS PARENTING GIG AND BE AWESOME AT IT AT THE SAME TIME, ALL THE TIME.
"You will be a different parent every morning to a child who will also be different, sometimes changing in just hours, or minutes, or before your eyes. There will be good days and bad days, good minutes and bad minutes, good choices and not-so-good ones. You will do some things, probably a lot of things, wrong. Be gentle with yourself, because you are wildly loved and incredibly needed." --
DON'T READ ALL THE BABY SLEEP BOOKS.
"Sleep when the baby sleeps. Clean when the baby cleans. Don't worry. Stress causes your baby stress and a stressed baby won't sleep."-
POST-BABY BOD IS A FOUR LETTER WORD.
"I've been doing the pregnant/kid thing since March 2010, and in that time I've noticed one thing: Our cultural conversation about pregnancy, birth and motherhood is way off from what the actual experience is. And it's hurting women." --
YOU ARE ALWAYS, ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING WRONG, SO STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT.
"Of course there are plenty of amazing, beautiful, transformative moments -- but those generally take place when you are on the toilet by yourself. The rest of [parenting] is messy, both physically and emotionally. You will survive it, but it will not always be pretty. THIS IS NORMAL." --
NO MATTER HOW YOU CHOOSE TO FEED YOUR CHILD, WE SUPPORT YOU.
"We all feed our children differently, but we are all feeding with love, and in ways that work for our individual circumstances and family dynamics." -
FORGET THE "TERRIBLE TWOS." THE THREES ARE WHERE IT'S AT.
"Every day, I suit up for battle. It's not just the usual twice-a-day stuff like 'I don't wanna go.' or 'I don't wanna eat that for breakfast.' I'm talking about something every hour." --
LET YOUR 3-YEAR-OLDS CLIMB TREES AND 5-YEAR-OLDS USE KNIVES.
"Children are drawn to the things we parents fear: high places, water, wandering far away, dangerous sharp tools. Our instinct is to keep them safe by childproofing their lives. But 'the most important safety protection you can give a childis to let them takerisks.'" --
HELICOPTER PARENTS ARE EVERYWHERE -- EXCEPT WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED MOST.
"There really is something very simple we can do to make our kids demonstrably safer. It isn't particularly sexy or heroic; it just means making changes to the most humdrum of daily routines. Why is it a solution so many parents won't hear?" --
HAVING A TODDLER IS LIKE BEING IN PRISON.
"You're always terrified someone is going to crawl into your bed in the middle of the night." --
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, PUT A BAND-AID ON IT.
"Little children believe in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and the power of Band-Aids. If nothing else, trying to peel the backing off the adhesive distracts kids from what ails them." --
THE SWEET SPOT
CHILDHOOD SHOULDN'T BE A RACE.
"Every child learns to walk, talk, read and do algebra at his own pace andit will have no bearing on how well he walks, talks, reads or does algebra." --
SOMETIMES, YOU JUST HAVE TO SLOW DOWN.
"I will not say, 'We don't have time for this.' Because that is basically saying, 'We don't have time to live.'
Pausing to delight in the simple joys of everyday life is the only way to truly live.
(Trust me, I learned from the world's leading expert on joyful living.)"
TWO WORDS YOU SHOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER ARE "AT LEAST."
"These two small words give me great perspective and remind me to chill out. I use them readily in any annoying but not yell worthy kid situation. 'He just dropped an entire jug of milk on the floorat least it wasn't glass and at least he was trying to help!' I also use them readily when I want to give up: 'Okay, this is hard but at least there are only three hours until bedtime, not 12.'" --
GIVE CHILDREN CHOICES.
"Kids have very little control over their lives. They are constantly being told where to go, what to do and what to eat. A little bit of control goes a long way toward feeling happy. Let your kids choose their outfits. Allow them to choose the dinner menu one night per week. Ask them what classes they want to take. Give them the opportunity to make some decisions and watch them smile in return." --
PAY ATTENTION.
"If you pay attention, kids will teach you how to laugh loudly, how to love deeply and how to live fully. They will also ruin all your stuff." --
GET COMFORTABLE WITH (SOME) BACK-TALK.
"Our families are where we first learn how to say 'No' in a safe, supportive environment. If we don't learn to do so there, we won't learn to do so anywhere. If our children can't say 'No' to us, they won't say it to anyone." --
STOP SOLVING EVERYTHING.
"This one took me years to figure out. It's one that is really hard for dads to get good at because we love fixing and solving things." --
SHARE YOUR SKETCHBOOK.
"Try not to be so rigid. Yes, some things (like my new sketchbook) are sacred, but if you let go of those chains, new and wonderful things can happen. Those things you hold so dear cannot change and grow and expand unless you loosen your grip on them a little." --
DON'T LET YOURSELF -- OR YOUR KIDS -- GET BOGGED DOWN IN "FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS."
"I don't know the answer to how to raise a kid who isn't whiny and annoying and who doesn't think that Pinterest stress is really a thing worth lamenting. But I do know that as a parent, it begins with me." --
FACE IT: YOU WON'T BE AS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT SCHOOL IN MAY AS YOU WERE IN OCTOBER.
"Mom out there sending Lunchables with your kid, making her wear shoes with holes because we're.almost.there, practicing 'auditory reading' with your first grader, I got your back, sister. We were awesome back in October; don't you forget that. We used to care, and that counts for something." --
BRING THE HOLIDAYS DOWN A NOTCH.
"Fellow parents: St. Patrick's Day is supposed to be a 'phone-it-in' holiday. Yes, I've turned into a bit of a grinch, but SERIOUSLY WITH THE HOLIDAY OVERKILL. It used to be Christmas was the main event, but now it's as if every holiday must be at a Level 10." --
TAME THE "WORRY MONSTER."
"Teaching kids about how fear and worry work in their bodies, and specific thinking and doing strategies to fight the Worry Monster, empowers them to take a stand against this bully. It's time for us to take the Worry Monster down once and for all and turn our worriers into warriors." --
PARENT LIKE THERE IS A REPAIRMAN IN THE BASEMENT.
"After I realized how ridiculously careful I was being, I decided I should always parent my kids as if there was a drywall repairman in the basement. If they deserved all of my patience in the presence of a stranger, then they deserve all of my patience all of the time." --
REVEL IN THE SWEET SPOT.
"If raising children is like baseball or swimming, getting it right must be a cocktail of luck, faith, and showing up every day to do the work. And of course, never quitting (even when it all seems like a hopeless goat rodeo)." --
SCREEN SENSE
THE MINUTE WE GIVE OUR KIDS A GADGET, WE BECOME RESPONSIBLE FOR WHATEVER HAPPENS NEXT.
"Checking our kids' news feeds to see what they are viewing, scrolling through their profiles to see what they're posting, investigating the people who want to follow them, finding out who they've given their password to and monitoring all of their accounts (because most kids have more than one Instagram account, in case you didn't know) doesn't make us helicopter parents. It makes us smart parents." --
SHOW, DON'T TELL, YOUR KIDS ABOUT THE POWER OF INTERACTING IRL.
"Bottom line: Our children need a break. But what should we do? And how do we convince them of the dangers of something that has become so central to their existence?" --
BEWARE DISTRACTED LIVING.
"We live in an age where we are constantly fed messages that we should try to do as much as we can as fast as we can; to live at maximum efficiency. Except when we shouldn't. How many homework assignments and extracurricular activities and educational apps and appointments and meetings and spin classes and returned email messages and social media sites and DVRd shows and any number of things with varying degrees of importance do we try to cram into any one day?" --
RAISING GIRLS
DON'T TELL YOUR DAUGHTER HER BODY LOOKS AMAZING.
Instead, "[r]emind [her] that the best thing she can do with her body is to use it to mobilize her beautiful soul." --
DADS, YOUR DAUGHTER NEEDS YOU AS A ROLE MODEL FOR HOW SHE SHOULD BE TREATED BY BOYS AND MEN.
"No matter her sexual orientation, your daughter will live in a world with boys and men. Pay attention to the way you address her as well as to the way you talk about women." --
LET YOUR DAUGHTER EXPRESS HERSELF.
"Yes, kids might tease heryou know it happens. But the only thing worse than that is teaching her that she should make choices in life solely based on how other people (not even people she cares about) might perceive them." --
OUR DAUGHTERS CAN BE EXCELLENT ROLE MODELS FOR US.
"She's beautiful and smart and funny and graceful and witty and brilliant, and for four years, I nodded my head in agreement with every Joe off the street who told me she is exactly like mewhen I thought exactly none of those things about myself." --
RAISING BOYS
"SOFT" IS NOT AN INSULT.
"They'll tell you you aren't a real man. That you're something else. They won't say it directly. They'll say it in advertisements and characters in movies and 'the American way' and the hot men that always get the hot women.
But the bravest thing you can do, kid, is to keep that softness intact, to let that heart stay open for all the pain it will entail." --
TALK TO YOUR SON ABOUT EVERYTHING.
"Let him tell you about girls, friends, school. Listen. Ask questions. Share dreams, hopes, concerns. He is not only your son, you are not only his father. Be his friend too." --
BUT SPECIFICALLY, TALK ABOUT SEX.
"When you have the 'avoid getting raped' conversation with your daughter, it is difficult, as you don't want to imagine her as a victim. The idea of having the 'don't rape' conversation with your son is more difficult as you don't ever want to imagine him as a perpetrator. Do it anyway." --
THE "PRINCESS CULTURE" DOESN'T ONLY AFFECT GIRLS.
"A funny thing happened when I met my son -- I started to realize how destructive girl power can be to boys." --
DON'T FORGET YOU
PARENTING CAN BE BRUTAL.REAL LIFE ISN'T PICTURE PERFECT, ESPECIALLY WHERE CHILDREN ARE CONCERNED.
"Kids are messy and uncooperative and frustrating, as well as adorable and sweet and charming. Shouldn't we document and share all of that? Years from now, the pictures you'll appreciate most are the ones that truly reflect your life at any given moment in time." --
YOU. ARE. NOT. ALONE.
"The other moms in preschool, at the grocery store, at work, at school, at co-op classes, at the doctor's office, at where ever you may be, well chances are that they might feel tired as well. Wondering about all this motherhood stuff. Yet, still giving of self for those kids that you love." --
MOMS NEED TO STAY IN THE PICTURE -- FOR THEIR CHILDREN, AND FOR THEMSELVES.
"We must not just stay in the pictures for our kids; we must do it for ourselves. Pictures of us say: we laughed, we loved, we had adventures, we felt pain. We lived. We were perfectly their mothersand perfectly ourselves." --
SPECIAL NEEDS MOMS ARE NOT EASILY OFFENDED.
"Despite what our social media status updates say, we are vulnerable, and life messes with us daily. So really, ask what you want to ask and it's OK to start with 'I don't really know how to say this, how to ask you .' I am especially touched when someone cares enough to ask me how my child is feeling, or how to include my child in a social gathering, meal or other event, and am happy to collaborate on what will work for us." --
DON'T JUDGE A PARENT BY THE TANTRUM.
"A kid going berserk at a grocery store doesn't indicate the quality of his parents, anymore than a guy getting pneumonia after he spends six hours naked in the snow indicates the quality of his doctor." --
DON'T ALIENATE YOUR NON-KID-HAVING FRIENDS.
"It's not a competition. If, on a scale of 1 to Passing Out Awkwardly in the Shower and Waking Up When the Hot Water Runs Out, your friend is at a 7, and three weeks into your first newborn you were at a 9, that DOESN'T MAKE YOUR FRIEND ANY LESS TIRED." --
THANK THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
"To nurses everywhere: You should know that you have made a difference to so many people in this world, my family included, and I cannot thank you enough." --
YOUR LOVE STORY IS NOT BORING.
"This is love with the lights on and eyes wide open. This is the brave love, the scared love, the sacred boring, the holy ordinary over sinks of dirty dishes and that one cupboard in the kitchen with the broken hinge." --
NEEDING A BREAK ISN'T THE SAME THING AS WANTING A VACATION.
"When I get a break at the end of my day, I don't use it to have fun.I do whatever I need to do, in that moment, to feel like I deserve to exist. I do what I need to do to feel sane and stable and capable of keeping up with the never-ending needs of my beautiful children." --
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE PERFECT SOLUTION FOR EVERYTHING -- AND THAT'S FINE.
"You are not a terrible parent if you yell at your kids sometimes. You have little dictators living in your house. If someone else talked to you like that, they'd be put in prison.
You are not a terrible parent if you can't figure out how to calmly give them appropriate consequences in real time for every single act of terrorism that they so creatively devise.
You are not a terrible parent if you'd rather be at work.
You are not a terrible parent if you just can't wait for them to go to bed."
IT'S TIME TO STOP TREATING DADS LIKE IDIOTS.
"I've seen dads criticized and made fun of for how they dress the baby. For how they feed the baby. For how they handle things differently than moms. Despite the fact that most first-time moms are just as clueless and confused as first-time dads, it's chic to make fun of the dads, while moms are assumed to know absolutely everything." --
YOU ARE BETTER THAN YOU THINK.
"No matter how many doubts you might have, you never need doubt this one thing: You are not perfect. And that's good. Because really, neither is your child. And that means nobody can care for them the way you can, with the wealth of your understanding and your experience." --
PARENTING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO MANY OF US AND SO IT'S ALSO THE PLACE WE'RE MOST VULNERABLE.
"We're all a little afraid we're doing it wrong. But even when we're scared -- we can still choose. We can choose to see each other as competition or as fellow warriors -- fighting the same fight on the same team. One goal -- many paths. We can learn from each other. We can even ENJOY each other." --
IT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH TO BE "JUST" OK.
"That's right. I don't aspire to be the World's Greatest Mom. I don't even try. I am perfectly happy being the World's Okayest Mom and no one's childhood will be ruined by that." --
NEARLY ALL OF US STRUGGLE TO FEEL BEAUTIFUL IN OUR OWN SKIN -- BUT WE SHOULDN'T.
"My dream is to be a part of a movement of being kind to ourselves and to others and witness a generation of young people that no longer waste years of precious life on self-loathing like I have because they think they are un-beautiful." --
DON'T TELL A WORKING MOM YOU "DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT."
"I don't know how I do it. But I don't think that's because I work, I think it's because parenting is hard whether you stay at home or go off to the office. I don't know how any of us do it. It's glorious and rewarding and full of love and it is the hardest thing I've ever done. Balancing kids with anything else, whether a paying job or running a household or finding time to watch Honey Boo Boo, is nearly impossible." --
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT. IT'S THE PEOPLE TRYING TO CONVINCE US OTHERWISE WHO ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF ATTENTION.
"This post is for my mom and all the moms, because now I know how many sacrifices it took to raise us, and now I understand the unshakable guilt in parenting, and now I realize that I had all the attention I could ever need, and that moms deserve time when they're not tending to kids, and that no one has a right to say how moms spend that time -- no one gets to decide what's worthy and what's wasted." --
CALM THE F*CK DOWN.
Step 1. Calm the f*ck down.
Step 2. There is no second step.
THIS IS CHILDHOOD
REMEMBER, EVERY AGE HAS ITS PECULIAR CHARMS.
For evidence, see these lovely pieces by , , , , , , , , and . Forget Resolutions -- Time to Set Intentions
Every year we make these resolutions and never keep them. Last year I asked you .
Specifically I asked:
What would your financial situation be?
What would your love and family life look like?
What would your health be like?
What would your professional realm look like?
Now, a year older and hopefully a year wiser, I am questioning whether there is even a purpose to resolutions aside from creating a platform from which to feel guilty and shameful when once again, we don't maintain them.
Forget the resolutions. Together we will move beyond specific personal resolutions and instead create, cultivate and manifest great intentions. See, intentions are easy because they don't tie us to an outcome. Intentions simply ask that we go through our day, hour-by-hour, being as mindful, conscious, aware and awake as we are able to be in that moment.
Intentions simply ask that we go through our day, hour-by-hour, being as mindful, conscious, aware and awake as we are able to be in that moment.
Intentions invite us to do our personal work on becoming more of a human-being, and less human-doing or a human-thinking.
Try these intentions on for size:
In 2014 I am:
Present
Loving
Healthy
Fearless
Creative
Focussed
Carefree
Light
Passionate
Adventurous
Awake
Vibrant
Abundant
Transformed
Peaceful
Happy
I could go on and on. When we go about the activities of our day wearing an intention of love, vibrancy or health, it doesn't matter what we are doing. Our actions will take on a different quality. We become freed from the idea that we need to achieve a weight loss goal, a financial goal, a five-year plan or live up to any status quo that isn't really us.
Setting your intention from the start of your day and reminding yourself as often as you can to be vibrant, awake, and loving will transform you from being the lightbulb that lights up a room to the source of electricity that gives light to the bulb. Is the switch turning on? You getting this?
You have the ability to be the power source for making your wildest dreams come true.
2014 is the year we are entering and we can choose to enter it thinking of the challenges that engaged us in the past, and likely allow ourselves to marinade in that as we move forward. Or we can shimmy and shake off the cobwebs of 2013 and focus on the greatness that surrounds us. Let's start dancing that dance with the very best of our highest intentions.
Do you know what will happen?
Every resolution you have ever made in your whole life will come to be effortlessly achieved. Health, happiness, and prosperity are your birthright. The law of attraction doesn't work by enabling us to magnetize great things through our thoughts. It works by inviting us to see the greatness that currently is within us and surrounds us and so we are more ready to say YES to the opportunities, people, places, and experiences that bring us more of what we desire -- because we are awake to see what's up for grabs.
When our intentions are to bring our greatest selves into the world for positive contribution, to do our most awesome at whatever it is we are doing, the universe conspires in our favour to make that happen.
And it all starts very simply. Set your intention now and remember it everyday when you wake up. Consider it as you fall asleep. And keep it in your mind and your heart as often as you remember throughout the day. You will be amazed at what unfolds.
TODAY IS THE DAY!
Now you're turn. Finish this in the comments below: IN 2014 I AM Making New Year's Resolutions: Tap Into the Power of Intention Have you ever set your New Year's resolutions only to find a few months after that you lost interest, moved onto something more urgent or just ditched the idea altogether? It's not enough to set goals -- what's missing is tapping into your intention. Here are five ways to help you achieve your resolutions, and enjoy the journey along the way.
THE MYTH OF NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
A new year indicates a new start, and it's easy to get excited about that. Out with the old patterns that did not move us forward and in with brand new goals that will change everything. What is often overlooked is that the reason resolutions often do not work is because you are starting out from a place of frustration or judgment about the situation you wish to change. "I want to lose 10 poundsand I'm so fed up with how bad I feel in my clothes, and how I can't resist eating late at night." Every new year, while there's often a honeymoon period where your motivation is high, when the inevitable challenges or setbacks appear (life happens), the critic's mind is primed to chime in with negative messages. "I knew you couldn't do it, there are too many distractions, it's too hard " What is really hard is fighting back the discouraging and constant messages of the inner critic. That's where intentions come in.
WHY INTENTION MATTERS
Your intention is far more than the goal or objective you have set. It also includes how you want to feel along the way. Let's say your goal is to finish a marathon next year. Your intention could be to make the training fun and social. If your goal is to learn a new sport or instrument, your intention could be to feel alive and joyous just because you are making time to practice it. Ask yourself: What kind of experience do I want to create as I'm moving towards my goal? Can I be on the lookout for my own self-critical messages and set it up so that I appreciate just showing up, which is half the battle anyways? Here are five steps to move forward:
1. ACCEPT WHERE YOU ARE
When thinking of a resolution, self-acceptance goes a long way. Instead of coming from a place of judgment and pressure, come from a place of curiosity and meaning. "What would it be like ifThis matters because " Instead of making lofty and long-term goals that are not sustainable, set up some baby steps which allow you to feel good about being in the process of moving forward. Focus on something for a month or two. Some research says it takes to change a habit, some suggests is the magic number. The point is, you get better at whatever you practice. Give yourself some love for even little victories.
2. HOW YOU WANT TO FEEL INSIDE YOURSELF
Deliberately set an intention of how you want to feel while moving towards your resolution. Realize that challenges are part of the journey. What will you say to yourself when they come up? Do you want to focus on and appreciate your efforts, rather than only your results?
3. HOW YOU WANT TO FEEL WITH OTHERS
How you interact with the people around you, also contributes to how you will feel while you are working towards your goal. If there are other people around, set your intention for the kind of interaction you would like to have with them. (calm, harmonious, fun, etc.) What would that look like?
4. A TIP FROM TOP ATHLETES
Top athletes are taught that doing their physical practice sessions is not enough. They have to visualize themselves doing their best and actually experience how they would feel in that state. They are encouraged to run a mental movie of what they would be like as they work towards and finally achieve their goal. Imagine yourself achieving your goal. In your mental movie, how do you feel? What would you say to yourself in your mind, what emotions would you experience in your body? from University of Chicago has shown that athletes that visualized their progress had very similar results as those who physically practiced. Visualization activates new . This is powerful!
5. RELAX IN YOUR INTENTION
We've all heard that it's the journey, not just the destination. While goals can be specific and set, intentions should be more fluid and relaxed. Create your intention, the way you want to feel while moving towards your goal, and let it go. You are setting an energetic foundation for progress. By building in your intention with your goal, you give yourself a huge advantage in reaching it. If you can detach yourself from the minutia of reaching that resolution, and surrender to the feeling of achieving it, you may be surprised at how easy it becomes.
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