03/27/2023
Heal your heart with love.
You work so hard to be a good parent, to listen, to be kind & gentle, to raise happy little humans.
Be proud of yourself for that.
You aren’t perfect, though. You make mistakes, have bad days, get overwhelmed sometimes.
And then the guilt sets in. And it can be HEAVY. So heavy it can begin to feel as if every day is a struggle & every need your children have is just another boulder thrown on your shoulders & the thought of being able to relax & enjoy your children feels like an impossible dream.
But here’s the thing, you’re human. And YOU deserve kindness, too. You might have some healing to do & that’s okay. So, instead of beating yourself up when you make the same old mistakes again & again or break promises to yourself or fall into destructive habits, set that heavy guilt down (it’s okay, you can make amends later if you need to), close your eyes & silently whisper through time into your past:
"I'm here.”
“I'm listening.”
“What do you need?”
“Where does it hurt?”
“How can I help?"
Then listen for echoes of pain and loss and fear and unmet needs. Let yourself feel and experience those emotions as they surface. Then treat yourself as tenderly as you would a sad and scared child. Offer comfort to that child. Tell them you’re sorry they were hurt or scared or alone or felt unwanted. Tell them they’re safe now. Tell them they can trust you to KEEP them safe.
Healing old hurts can only begin when the children we once were feel safe enough to speak their hearts to the adults we are now. And when the healing begins, the guilt fades, the weigh lifts, the joy returns, and the cycle is broken.
So the next time you’re faced with a parenting challenge, try to remember to pause for a moment & pay attention to the child within you before reacting negatively to the child in front of you. Meeting your inner child’s needs calmly & gently is the key to breaking the cycle & enabling a calm, gentle response to the huggable little human counting on you to raise them into a peace-filled, heart-whole adult.
-L.R. Knost
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📚Peaceful Parenting Resources: http://t.co/T8goym3P6Z 📚
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www.LRKnost.com
Fighting a rare, incurable cancer, but I'm still here!💞 L.R.
