“It’s no surprise we fail to tune into our children’s essence. How can we listen to them, when so many of us barely listen to ourselves? How can we feel their spirit and hear the beat of their heart if we can’t do this in our own life?” ― Shefali Tsabary, The Conscious Parent
Earlier this year, I did something that was quite out of the ordinary for me. In May, as a member of the cast of this year’s Listen To Your Mother production, I stood up in front of a room full of people I didn’t know and talked publicly about some of the challenges I faced as a child and how this history has informed my journey as a parent.
Today, I’m sharing that story with you (see embedded video):
Choosing to become a mother has been one of the most profound acts of my life. I waited quite awhile before trying to become pregnant because I wanted to feel “ready” for the journey. However, it wasn’t long after the birth of my first child that I began to understand parenting was a lot more work, both physically and emotionally, than I had ever anticipated.
Today, I question whether anyone is ever truly “ready” for the challenges that come with becoming a parent. One thing I do know for certain, if we’re are living consciously and with intention, our children, through their mere presence in our lives, beckon us to embrace the fullness of the present moment, tend to the injuries of the past and expand upon our wisdom.
For as much as we are our children’s teachers, they are also ours.