On Nurturing

Just as flowers need the sun, water and healthy soil to grow, parents need to be nurtured as well. Clinical literature repeatedly demonstrates the mood of the parent directly impacts the mood of the child. For example, studies on depression in mothers clearly suggest that children tend to exhibit depressive symptoms when their primary caregiver is diagnosed with depression. Parenting is a full time job and vacations are not paid time off. We parent “all the time.” Therefore, it becomes critical to parent from a position of fullness and strength versus one of a depletion and weakness. In order to healthily nurture somebody else, one must first take care of the self.

parentStrategy tips:

  1. MAINTAIN AN EXERCISE ROUTINE
  2. EAT HEALTHY AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD
  3. HAVE REGULAR SCHEDULED EVENINGS ON THE TOWN
  4. READ A BOOK
  5. TAKE A BATH
  6. BEGIN A HOBBY
  7. JOIN A CLASS
  8. ASK AN OLD FRIEND TO BREAKFAST OR LUNCH
  9. CHANGE FOCUS/LOOK INWARD THROUGH BREATHING EXERCISES, MEDITATION, OR PRAYER
  10. LAUGH…

REMEMBER, CHILDREN RESPOND MORE POSITIVELY WHEN YOU PARENT FROM A POSITION OF FULLNESS AND STRENGTH. THE WAY TO BECOME FULL AND STRONG IS TO NURTURE YOUR PERSONAL, SPIRITUAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL NEEDS ON A REGULAR BASIS.