02/15/2025
It’s been a while since we posted here but we have been growing as a practice and are excited to start sharing again and in new ways! Stay tuned…
Today, this photo from a special trip this summer with my youngest daughter caught my eye. While in Paris, she asked for my hand to make a heart with hers around a little section of the locks on the Pont des Arts where people had left their locks despite the fact that it is no longer permitted. This well sought out bridge collapsed from the weight of the love people had locked on it over the years.
I often use the image of the “lock bridge” to represent the parent-child relationship as one that is idealized and fantasy-like but kids feel “weighed” down.
Parents who are well-meaning, but oppressive, heavy handed, and punitive. The relationship is stressful and eventually things collapse.
Instead, I coach parents to be more in sync with their children. To establish reasonable boundaries but also exist with mutual respect; to listen to their voices and problem solve together rather than locking away “big feelings”.
Parents who love but not weigh down raise children who are lifted and live and love. ❤️
Happy Valentine’s Day and Joyeuse Saint-Valentin!
