Your First Step

On your parenting journey, you can see the light ahead on the good days. On other days, the path seems rocky and nearly impossible. As with any long and worthwhile journey, it is critical to have a backpack with the ten essentials.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, hiking is a means of getting out in nature and enjoying some good exercise. But terrain and weather can abruptly change the environment. That's why hikers and backpackers prepare themselves with the Ten Essentials for Hiking and Camping.

Family life, too, can be going great until everything suddenly changes. Arming ourselves with the Ten Essentials for Your Parenting Journey helps us be prepared for whatever comes. Of course, we need other strategies and techniques as well. But, as with exploring the outdoors, the Ten Essentials are a necessary starting point.

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The Ten Essentials for Your Parenting Journey

1. A map to know where you are going. What is your vision for your family? What are your goals for your relationship with your child?

2. Sunglasses to help you to see clearly without distractions that may blind you to your purpose. Let's check in regularly to be sure we are still focused on your goals.

3. A flashlight to help you see during those dark times. We'll identify strategies to help you through the most challenging situations.

4. A magnifying glass to observe details. Often, when we examine a challenging situation closely, we learn that what started it was a look or a word that held a negative meaning.

5. A first aid kit to bandage unintended wounds so that family life can go on. You will learn strategies for turning things around in the midst of miscommunication.

6. A repair kit for when things break down. Practice effective strategies for repairing your relationship with your child after a challenging episode. This not only helps you to get regulated again, but it also teaches your child the art of repairing relationships.

7. Fire starter! Learn to identify what starts family blow-ups, and then learn how to extinguish them.

8. Shelter when needed. I'll teach you the strategy of Five Minutes Peace so that everyone in your family has a safe place to retreat in order to get themselves regulated. Even very young children can learn this!

9. Pack extra food. You may have experienced someone in your family being "hangry." Be sure that both you and your child recognize the signs and have nutritious snacks available.

10. Bring extra water. Sometimes just pausing to get a drink of water or splashing water on your face can calm big feelings. You can model this so that your child learns these techniques, too.

The rocky path may be before us, but there is light ahead. Let's take the first step together!

Ready to take the first step? Email me at cecile.mielenzphd@gmail.com or call or text 425-478-3352.