Being with a newborn can often be super fun and rewarding and at other times it can be incredibly boring. There’s not a whole lot of interaction happening yet but there is a lot of extra laundry and additional housework because we’re home more often. But in the moments when I’m thinking I might go crazy if I have to wash the poop out of one more diaper, I remember something I learned from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “Peace is Every Step”. Every mundane moment of our lives is an opportunity to be present and enjoy life.
Three ways to stop yelling and still be heard
Although we’re all aware, caring, conscious parents, you know as well as I do that there are times when we lose control and we find ourselves saying the very words we swore we’d never say to our kids. I’m sure there have even been times when you *gasp* yelled at your kids. So, what can you do instead of yelling when you want to be heard and your little ones seem completely oblivious to your existence? I’ve got three great strategies, new things you can do in moments when you’re about to yell or scream. So, try these and let me know how it goes!
The simpler the better
Hey Everybody, I’m back! My beautiful daughter is nearly 2 months old and I’m excited to be back in touch with you all.Before I go on, a special thanks to all my guest bloggers. You all really helped me out and provided great content for our awakeparent
community!
OK, so you know the principle of Occam’s razor? It’s the one that states that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Well, so far, it’s been showing up in my world as a new parent. Here are some examples: 1) Which is simpler, that my husband purposely hid my fork from me or that I inadvertently tossed it into the sink and forgot about it? 2) Which is simpler, using a host of stain fighting concoctions to get the poop stains out of my cloth diapers or just putting them out in the sun for an hour? 3) Which is simpler, applying lots of special creams to my baby’s butt to get rid of diaper rash or just letting her little toosh get some air a few times a day?
Having friends could save your life!
The New York Times published an article this week (July 2010) about the importance of having a social network http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/a-new-risk-factor-your-social-life/ Apparently, the study shows that having strong social ties decreases your risk of dying by 50%! Researches concluded that not having a social network can be as dangerous to your health as smoking a pack a day or being an alcoholic.
In the study, strong family ties counted as a social network, but I suspect that the social experiences we get to have with our peers and elders are hugely important. So, if your only family ties are with your partner and kids, take a moment this week to consider how you can expand your social network to include some fun peer connections. According to this study, it really could be a matter of life and death.
A Special Letter to My Soon to Be Born Baby
When I was a teenager I was flipping through my baby book and I saw a letter my mom had written to me before I was born. It was sweet and heartfelt and at that moment I knew on a deeper level how very wanted I was and how special I was to my mom even before she met me for the first time. It has always been important to me that I make a conscious choice to become a parent and that I wait until I’m really ready to take on the responsibilities of parenthood. So here I am, just two weeks away from my “guess date” and I’ve decided to write a letter to my baby to welcome him or her.