Parenting Paused

Are you getting derailed by your own expectations? You try a new trick to be on time in the morning, but your child can't find their left shoe. (Again!) You plan a beautiful family outing for some much-needed fun and it is filled with temper tantrums. Of course, you expect a lot from yourself and your children... and the truth is Parenting is Messy! Discover here the root of these expectations while learning how to work with them the Purejoy way.    

Is setting boundaries a struggle for you? Or do you find it easy? You probably have heard at some point, "Kids need boundaries!" But... what does that really mean? And how do you do it? What's the difference between setting a "healthy personal boundary" and controlling your child's behavior? Listen to discover the nuance.

What was your parenting fantasy before you had kids? How different is it to what you experience daily? Perhaps you visioned preparing a creatively delicious healthy dinner and your children eagerly gobbled it up glowing brighter with inner health, bite by bite. Instead, they whine and complain about not having mac n cheese and how disgusting vegetables are. Maybe you dreamed that your children stopped fighting because you learned that new technique about sibling rivalry. And the next second they are yelling and at each other again.  How do you handle the discrepency between your fantasy and your reality? Is it possible to still find the joy?   

Are you trying to be the perfect parent? Even if you know on a conceptual level, that "perfect" doesn't exist... are you *still* trying to be perfect? What does that look like to you? How do you define a perfect parent? Does this idea come from a book, a movie, your own parents or grandparents? Or maybe the image of Mary Poppins who is "practically perfect in every way". Where does that internal voice come from saying "you should do this" or "you should be better". Or a really common one in the conscious parenting world is, "You should have gotten this by now!"Who is that person with so many opinions? Do you trust this voice? Who can you trust?!?In this week's Parenting Paused Podcast, learn about the two foundational practices to use while having a dialogue with that inner Mary Poppins. Find your own wisdom as you listen.

Have you ever looked at your kids and thought: "What the heck am I doing?!?!?!" The feeling of insecurity in parenting is SO common! Just look at the parenting "expert" field... it's massive these days! Do these scenarios sound familiar? In your excitement, you shared a story about your parenting with your mother, only to receive the "Mom Look"! You know the one: Disapproval without saying a single word. Or... You are at a playdate and a friend provides some unsolicited advice on what you should *definitely* do about your child's behavior. Of course these situations, and many others, can elicit feelings of insecurity! This week you can explore your parenting insecurity. You may believe on some level that it is caused by your child's behavior. "If only my child would behave, then I wouldn't have to feel this way!" Is this true? What if you normalized the feeling of insecurity? Listen to discover more.

This week in the Parenting Paused Podcast, listen in to explore the concept of innocence. How do you respond to a newborn baby when they cry? When they express a need in the only way they know how? - Do you conclude that they are manipulating you? How do you respond to your child, tween, or teen when they express a need? - Do you conclude that they are manipulating you? And how do you treat yourself? Listen to rediscover your own innocence, so that you can welcome it in yourself and your child.  

You *really* believe your kiddo should want to do their chores, do the dishes, the laundry, stop playing video games and help make dinner ... the list goes on! How do you behave when they don't? Do you use shame or blame? Subtle coercion or bribes? All the old parenting tricks? Now go one step further: How do you feel when they don't? This week, you'll explore how your emotional reactions impact the way you teach your kiddos the practical skill sets of life. Of course, you want them to have practical skill sets! When you ask them to do the dishes, are your emotional needs weaved into this request? Discover how to untangle the practical from the emotional in this week's episode!

Have you ever heard yourself saying the exact same thing your mother or father said to you as a child, and been horrified? So many parents seek help because they do NOT want to parent from the family template they were given. It didn't work for you as a child, so why would it work for your children? And then... you hear the words your mother or father said fly right out of your mouth! Why does that happen??? You tried SO hard! You read every book. You watched all the Parenting Conferences. Does this sound like you? At Purejoy Parenting, the secret sauce to a beautiful relationship with your child is a beautiful relationship with yourself. Are you open to offering kindness to yourself when you act like your mom or dad? Find out more in this week's episode!

Oh no!!!! Is this PERMISSIVE parenting?!?!? (dun dun DUN!!!!!)

You live in a culture that tells you how your children "should be". Through the ages and stages, there is a lot of info that expects your child to measure up. In Purejoy, we go a little deeper by supporting you in looking internally. What need are you trying to meet when you expect your child to act or be a certain way different than they are? In Purejoy we view everyone as deserving love for who they are. Including YOU! Listen to this week's podcast episode, where Leslie shares what she learned the hard way! Hear the questions she asked herself as she learned to parent the child she had, instead of the child that lived in her fantasy.

This week's episode explores the difference between exploring and explaining. Do you find yourself exploring with your child what's going on- their experience, showing up for them to explore their world, how they see things, the conclusions they're coming to, the meanings they're concluding? Or do you explain how the world works, how they're supposed to think, what they're supposed to do, and how they can be 'right' depending on how you experience the world? There is a strong tendency, especially when feeling powerless and uncomfortable with their actions, to fall back on explaining how things are. Tune in to hear alternatives to explaining and encouragement for how to be more curious with your child and their experience. 

Are you a student of Parenting? If you are here, you probably had an inspiration to research "how to parent". Maybe you wanted to do things differently from your parents. Maybe you found that what you were doing was not working. Maybe after all the conscious parenting books, podcasts, lectures... you still perceive that the way you parent isn't "working". Do you hear the internal judgment there? In this week's Parenting Paused podcast, you will explore the secret sauce... kindness to self! What would it be like to be kind to yourself when you just don't know?

Starting anew is the focus this week in Purejoy. What does that even mean? How do you enter your days by stepping into the intimacy of the moment? Especially with parenting it often feels easier to fall back on book knowledge and conditioned thinking to guide you forward. Tune into this week's episode to hear more about trusting in your capacity to enter each moment and to parent from your heart.  It is a mighty task especially if you were trained to doubt yourself and your wisdom. 

What does it mean to be happy? This is the question we are taking a look at in this week’s episode of Parenting Paused.  As you wind down the end of 2022 consider- what is your view of what it means to be happy. Often we get locked into happiness being about everything coming easy and comfortable and so then when discomfort arises you wonder, can we truly be happy? Tune into this week’s episode to hear what else might be possible and hear about an opportunity coming right up to support you to be truly happy in the new year!  

Most parenting advice focuses on the relationship between you and your child. Of course, this makes ALOT of sense! That's why you are here, right? It is so important to you to have a solid parent-child relationship! Have you considered that the

Parenting is SERIOUS! Scary, infuriating, and nerve-racking! When you perceive it that way it is easy to focus on the serious side when things feel so, well... SERIOUS!!! However, how do your children respond to your seriousness? Life to them is often playful and filled with delight. What would it be like to speak to them in their high value of play? Listen to this week's Parenting Paused Podcast to discover why play and laughter enhance your relationship with your child.

Stuck in the guilt cycle? Stuck feeling annoyed by your child's behavior? Stuck feeling frustrated by your response to your child's behavior? Do you find yourself repeating: "Why is my child so... (lazy, disrespectful, rude, entitled)!?!" OR... "Why can't I get this whole Peaceful Parenting thing RIGHT???" Check out this week's Parenting Paused Podcast to discover a practice that expands how you look at being STUCK and a tool to use to get UNSTUCK.

Have you ever been so certain that you were communicating to your kids (or partner) in a calm and peaceful manner, just to hear them respond,

As a parent, you probably believe that you must set limits and boundaries on your child in order for them to behave. There IS another WAY! Imagine how it would be to hold a healthy personal boundary in relation to your child. How do you treat yourself when your child doesn't do their homework, won't get off the computer, or won't eat healthy? Check out this week's Parenting Paused Podcast to discover a new definition of boundaries!

Your stories are EXCITING! Entertaining! Gripping! But…. are they true? Children, like adults, experience life through the filters of their perception. It is SO important for your children to be heard, but what is more important? Listening to the details of the story? Or listening to the feelings that are being provoked?  In this week’s podcast, we explore what it is like to TRULY talk to the feelings that are wrapped in the stories your children weave.