The Best Gift to Your Children: Authenticity

I am a strong believer of living in the moment, sharing the best version of yourself with the world, and staying centered. Sounds great, right? Its a challenge, no doubt. And after I became a full-time mom, this was really put to the test. Motherhood brings your "being" to a whole other level. Everyday is unique and many unexpected things arise; but staying "centered" or "calm", well, sometimes I am just trying to get through the day without crying or having my own meltdown. The first year I gave myself the time and non-guilt space to do nothing else but take care of my baby and enjoy those moments. Into the second year, I am feeling challenged to feel fulfilled as a mother, a woman, and a wife- as an individual. I find myself more needy at times, insistent, and missing certain aspects of myself. I have realized it is time to give myself what I need to be able to stay grounded and empowered, therefore, granting myself more energy to be patient and accepting.

My insight this week was that certain feelings I have had come up are from my past and my own childhood. An excerpt from Parenting with Presence "Simply notice what you're experiencing. Be patient. The emotions will pass through. You will feel better....It is a process of grieving for the voice you didn't have, the empathy you didn't receive, and the hurt of having felt invisible." This really spoke to me. With my coach I have done work to release pain from my past but didn't not realize raising my son would bring up residual feelings. So I chose to work through these in order to make room for positive energy and emotions. I truly believe that a big part of living a more peaceful life is being aware of how our past is impacting our present; filling any gaps of love or acceptance we may have from the past, and staying open to changes and needs that arise.

As humans, as living souls, as parents, we will always have challenges in our emotional space. When we lose ourselves, we are more prone to react to situations rather than respond consciously. Maintaining our authenticity- being real, honest, and genuine- is key to creating a healthy mindset in our families and the greatest gift we can share with our children.