Welcome to this chapter of my life. I was born and raised in Ohio; however, I find it appropriate to say I grew up in Massachusetts. Working with kids has been a lifelong journey starting with babysitting as a preteen, then working at daycares, next was nannying, and now I’m offering support to parents via coaching. Parenting has some seriously challenging aspects and it is far too easy to feel stuck in a loop, repeating yourself/feeling like your talking (or yelling) to the wall, being at odds with your coparent, and maintaining your Self while also having dependents.

We flip our lids because we are human, and it took me a while to develop the skills required to feel my feelings and understand my emotions but didn’t quite integrate that with relating to others. I had to see with honest eyes how I was modeling self-compassion, self-love, collaboration, resilience, and how authority uses power differentials for influence or control. Taking a deep breath and reading as much as I could helped me understand how to relate to kids no matter where they are at developmentally; which helped me as a nanny, but I still had a reality check waiting for me as a parent. As a parent, I have to navigate myself and be there for my kid when we are both exhausted from the day and completely overstimulated, and then the inner critic has their time to shine while I try to get settled for rest. I only got so far before I asked for help because I knew I deserved a better relationship with myself, my kid needed a better regulated parent from me, and my spouse needed a solid coparent. We all needed space to be seen, heard, and loved while feeling the sense of belonging without being “fixed.”

I “knew” so much and yet felt powerless in these dynamics, until I heard my kid saying “sorry” left and right. That was the straw that broke the camels back. I had to accept that I didn’t have all the answers but I did have the ability to learn. The more I learned about attunement the more I saw how enmeshed most of my relationships were, and thankfully I learned how to have grace for that. I can hold myself accountable for my behaviors so I can set boundaries, I could be kind to myself so I can offer kindness, I honor my feelings so I can help my kid with their’s, I bring silliness to challenges so thinking stays flexible and creative, I love my relationships with my family, and I can have tough moods or moments without beating myself up. This method has nurtured peace in my body, mind, and home; and I invite you to reach out if you could use support cultivating peace during these crazy times.