Meanderings

This post is going to meander around the most recent thoughts I have been having about life.

Jokingly, on the weekend, my brother and I agreed that I obviously think too much. He manages to go running without music whereas I find I need a little something in the background distracting a part of my mind. Otherwise I start over analysing what is going on with my breathing, my body, my stride and how much I want to stop lol.

So here is some of my over analysing! I came back from a recent family holiday feeling extremely relaxed and accepting. My goal is to continue being in this space and in particular ensuring that I am "gentle" with my children. I think I have admitted before that I have a temper and keeping this under control with my children is my constant journey. Running and meditation work a treat to help me. I know in my heart that my boy will benefit immensely from having a gentle, loving mum as he is an over thinker like me. I will continue to work hard for him on my personal demons.

I also have been horrified by the situation in Syria and the use of children to ride on tanks and other atrocities that have been reported. It reminds me again of the gift of our affluent lives cushioned as we are, here, down under. I feel that it is important for me to take this gift and make the absolute most of it, the best of it, in respect for those who are suffering if not just for the gift itself. This thinking helps me to let go of little issues and focus on the important aspects of fostering love and compassion.

In order to make the most of this gift I have also been considering what limits we put on ourselves when we dare to dream. I was saying to my husband just yesterday that we shouldn't just think in terms of where we currently live or what we are currently doing but broaden our minds to take in even the most whimsical of thoughts in order to consider the best way for us to embody our passions. We have the opportunity to do what we love so lets make it the best it can be and not put boundaries around it.

Saying that, I have been finding joy in so many little things that I think it doesn't matter where you are, so long as you are mindfully in the moment. I find happiness in sitting at my desk at work, quietly typing away. The peace of working from home when I can, alone in my own space. The laughter of playing board games with my children. The rush after a good, hard, long run. The loving look in my husband's eyes, the joy I feel being with him. Surely the list can be endless.

I do dream of sunshine and a warm place - my usual winter longing. And I wonder about my attachment to people and places, would I give it all away for a beach view?

Ah, so many thoughts passing across the sky that is my mind.

Lost and Found

Had a fabulous night in with a dear girlfriend last night. We often share stories about our experience of motherhood, wife-hood, and balancing our personal passions in life. Something I know to be true is that motherhood (parenthood) has been my making and also my undoing.

Hence, I started to think about how I am in the "lost and found" box at the local swimming pool. I have lost myself in parenthood and also found myself. Tacky? Cliched? Let me explain.

I lost my independence starting at 6 months pregnant when I couldn't move the way I wanted. I found my sense of joy in knowing that I was making a little person inside my body.

I lost my desire for an exciting career and found the desire for a good night's sleep to be so much more important.

I lost my status of breadwinner in the family home and found I could actually rely on others, and it was ok.

I lost myself, my identity as a feminist, a professional, a "successful" woman and found the peace of an afternoon in the sun, the joy of actually getting something done like a clean load of washing on the line.

And again, I lost my independence, my ability to be selfish, to do what I want when I want without considering anyone else. And found that my mother was true, we are all 2 year olds having tantrums when we can't have our way, it is a very thin veneer. I also found that it is better to share the experience of life and to see it in a completely different light, interpreted through those childish eyes that we have forgotten we once had.

I have lost my sense of self, passion and purpose. I found my joy, resilience, and mental toughness.

And what is life but the love we have for each other?

I will not wait for the children to fly the nest before reclaiming my journey in life. I will find the balance of my personal passion and my responsibilities in order to give them an interesting mother.

Children need interesting mothers.

Christmas Crazy Time

How do you get through the Christmas Crazy Time intact? I am feeling pretty proud of myself this year as for the first time in living history (well, since my children were born) I have managed to stay fairly stress-free! I put it all down to my ill health a year ago - isn't that sad?! I am still recovering and have to watch my energy levels which means I put alot of effort into organising myself so that Christmas wouldn't feel so crazy.

I got all my shopping done before the end of November and did it in 1 - 2 hour stints first thing in the morning before the shops got crazy. Did a bit of research and shopping on line which really helps to make things easier and don't we all just love getting a parcel in the mail even when we know what is in it!

I tried my hardest to spread out the Christmas events that we accepted so that the kids and I would have recovery time inbetween - seemed to have worked so far. And now in our last week, on the count down to the big day, I am feeling relaxed and comfortable, ready to enjoy the delights that await me at the end of this week.

Can you tell that Christmas Day isn't at my place this year?? I did have the work Xmas party to organise (went magically well I must say) and have family coming over Xmas Eve, but the big day will be elsewhere and that helps I guess.

By keeping myself calm and only doing what I can, as well as always thinking about how to keep things simple has worked a treat. Here's to five minute meditations, remembering that life is about ups and downs, being aware of what I can handle and what I can't, and the reminder that life is about enjoying every moment.

Happy festive season everyone! May it be full of fun and joy no matter where you are, who you are with and what you are doing.

Find Your Pace & Your Peace

I am going to blur the lines, between this blog and my running blog at runsisterrun.com. Is that allowed? Never mind, something that I wrote on my running blog has stayed with me for the last couple of weeks and is influencing my parenting, so I thought I would share it here with you all.

Here is the excerpt I need to share:

"There is always someone out there that you know. There is always someone running significantly faster than you are and also, someone slower. You have to run your own race for the day and the conditions. You have to trust your training, you have to have the mental resilience to keep on going even when you don't want to. I don't even know what kept me going. I don't remember any specific thoughts other than the usual mix of "you can get through this", "you can run to the line". It never crossed my mind to give up or stop and let me tell you, I was feeling really sick.

And in the end, I might not have reached my race goal, but it was just a race. Just a run. How lucky am I to be able to train for such events, to be able bodied and fit enough to run that far, to have the support of my husband so that I can disappear for hours on end just to run, to have an amazingly supportive family and group of friends who encourage me and share in each others' delights. Truly, I am blessed.

Oh, and I think that I am finally learning that it is not about the speed and your time, it is about that feeling of strength and resilience. It is the translation of the mental and physical resilience into other parts of your life. It is the peace that comes from running long distances."

I feel this is relevant to parenting because we all have to run our own race at our own pace. We all parent differently and our children are different and need different kinds of parenting. 

Some days we need resilience to get us over the line - to get those kids in bed before we lose the plot. Other days we are sailing through, amazed at how good and patient we feel. 

We can always see other parents who we think are doing better than us and others who we judge harshly. But most of all we are all really blessed. Blessed to have our children, to have the personal growth that we get from them, to experience the joy of parenting, to create a strong, safe family environment in which they can blossom. And it isn't about the speed, or the time, it is about the journey. About every moment, both beautiful and frustrating. And the overall peace that comes from travelling the long distance of time together..... 

Important safety note:

Do not spend two hours doing something special for your five year old daughter if you are going to be cranky and frustrated when she doesn't appreciate the effort.

They don't get it.

Do it out of love.

Let go of expectations.

(ok, lecture to self is now over).

Be Gentle

I have been foraying into the bushes and under growth that border my journey of parenthood. Meaning, I have been venturing off the calm, tranquil path into the frenzy of negative emotions particularly frustration and anger.

Having been overseas on my OWN for 11 days, experiencing a myriad of magical moments, did leave me with a short fuse over the last week. I was extremely happy to see my children and delighted in who they were, for an afternoon..... Then the routine of school drop offs, homework, housework, paid work and the usual juggle took over and my tranquility got lost somewhere between the lunch boxes and the washing machine.

During a conversation with my husband over dinner last night, followed up with a sequel over breakfast this morning, it came to me, that in order to do the best by my darling son I could follow the mantra "be gentle". Our eldest is a dreamy boy. Doesn't listen particularly well (selective hearing), only manages to do those things that he is really interested in,  first response to any idea is "no thank you", chooses the path of least resistance, and would sit all day in front of a screen (television, wii, ds, iPhone) if you let him. He also doesn't seem to respond terribly well to my ranting and raving. He just becomes more introverted and distant albeit slightly more compliant. It doesn't help him learn how to be better. I have heard him of late saying things to his younger sister that have come out of my mouth and, man, they sound terrible!

So my plan is to get back on the path. Accept that he is what he is. And who he is now is not a reflection of who he will become. Be gentle in my directions to him to see if he in turn will be gentle to his sister. I believe that the world needs more love so surely I can control my emotional state in order to be more loving to my son in the hopes that he will be more loving.

My mother has always said, "you can only pour in the love and know that it will come out again someday." Truly unconditional. My mantra - "be gentle". And I guess that includes being gentle to myself.

Email from my mother

I was recently on holiday overseas without my children and husband. I got labelled "runaway mum". During my time staying with my girlfriends I emailed my mother about how absolutely wonderful it was to have interesting conversations that weren't interrupted. Here is some of her reply. Pertinent musings from my feminist mother.... I cherish her with all my heart.


"Perhaps you can understand why I loved going to uni so much. Years of deprivation of interesting conversation. I don’t know how you have coped with the mothers group all these years. I preferred loneliness to baby and recipe talk as it was in all those years ago. I never met the childless girls perhaps if I had I would have been stimulated like you.

How I kept myself sane was to tell Dad that I was doing my MA degree, MA as in mother. Unwittingly you choose motherhood but there is a way to go yet. At least you have school hours where you can grab some sanity and no interruptions. But when the children are with you there are still other levels you need to reach. Now they need you in small ways but these become more complicated. You may be dealing with one child of two another of fifty two all at the same time . One wants to know how to do a sum another some historical  question and if you don’t know the aussie history then you get "the look"…...

Some  where along the line you are no longer the expert, your children are….. To add to this confusion there is never a clear demarcation line, just fluctuations along the line leaving you to wonder whether you are the one that might know or not in that particular instant.

As time goes on things do improve and it is a delightful period to have near adults living with you.

On second thoughts , I don’t think that a masters degree covers the personal growth and knowledge you require to weather motherhood. Perhaps it is MA to the power of ten and some days to the power of a hundred. Can you remember how irate your sister would get if I put a power on something because how could I put a mathematical figure on something unmathematical. I would be nearly under the table with laughter at the indignation.

I must tell you that I am reading a book written by Doris Lessing. She was a feminist writer in the 50’s and I am curled up with laughter at how nothing has changed, we are so locked in our culture at this period of time. But we knew that, didn’t we?"

Dog Tired

It has been an exhausting week for me. My 'illness' reared its ugly head in fine form and my darling husband (DH) headed interstate for work. It reminded me of the following:

1) Truly NOTHING is that important that it can't wait until tomorrow if it means you can spend more time cuddling on the couch with the kids.

2) One of the biggest lessons of my life is to make easy dinners that the kids love and your conscience can live with. This significantly reduces the opportunity to yell.

3) Let the kids in on your little secrets. "Mummy is here alone and finding it a little bit tough.  So I need your help to make sure we get everything done so we can get to school on time. Do you think you can help me by ...?"

4) Life is about love and kindness - from friends, to yourself, and for your children.

Just had to get that out. *sigh* Now I can get back to cooking dinner.

:-)

Desire

I am back in the realm of 'patience acceptance'. As muttered about in previous blogs, I have been unwell for a while and this has resulted in a reduction of my (and my family's) living standards. I have had to accept that the house will be a bit of a mess, not all the "jobs" on my list will get done and that after dinner, I stop. Completely. We are talking couch potato like the Superbowl/AFL Grandfinal is on and I am a bloke with a bag of chips and slab of beer.

In order to be able to do this with any kind of sanity, I have had to be accepting of my situation. I have also spent a lot of time considering what life is really about and I am here to remind you of that age old truth, it is NOT about having an immaculate house. It is about cuddles, tickles, laughter, monoply, boggle, tantrums, teeth brushing, good food, dancing, singing off key, making up stories, and general pandemonium and mayhem.

I have been reading my Buddhism for Mothers with Lingering Questions (Sarah Napthali) again and resonate with the belief that it is not our DESIRE for an immaculate house, organised life, polite children (add your own one here) that is our problem, it is how hard we hang on to that desire that is the root of all evil. It is how desperately we cling to our aspirations that makes us unhappy. When I find myself getting all worked up because things aren't perfect the way I want them to be, I flick a switch in my mind and say "oh well, it is what it is". I can do this purely because I know that by grasping for this perfection I am making myself unhappy. Guaranteed my children and husband do not care if there are dirty dishes in the sink. But they do care if I am not present, happy and full of the joy of life.

You choose!

Focus Your Attention

Today I have been reading about dukkha, as in, 'life is dukkha' which translates to 'life is suffering'. What this really means is that life includes suffering, anguish, stress, mild feelings of dis-ease, irritation etc. Dukkha also reflects the gap between what is happening now and what we wish was happening! Oh lordy, I have been there so very often.

Accepting that this is the nature of our imperfect existence is liberating, particularly to a parent, as children make this great noble truth inescapable. Accepting brings inner peace. It also opens us up to two ways of responding.

The first, which is ineffectual over the long term but sometimes necessary, is to accept the nature of our existence through denial. Keeping on smiling even though the world is falling apart around you, and you are uptight and tense inside, because that is just the way it is.

The second, is to make a choice in any given moment as to where you place your attention. You can chose to have a look at what is causing you to feel dukkha by asking yourself questions and sitting with the discomfort. Stepping outside of yourself to have a look at what is happening both externally and within your own mind. Or you can choose to pay attention to the beauty of the moment, focus on your breath, the beauty of your children, a flower, your garden, anything that brings you back to the moment and places your attention somewhere more inspiring.

For me, it all comes back to mindfulness. Can I remove myself from how I am feeling for that brief moment needed in order to divert my attention? It's a bit like a child having a tantie (tantrum), are they too far gone for the standard diversion technique to work? Likely they aren't. I try it on myself all the time.

What inspiring thing takes your attention and helps you to deal with your dukkha?

Those old chestnuts

I received a really heart warming compliment today, about this blog, which reminded me that I haven't been here enough lately. My absence certainly doesn't mean that my personal growth as a parent has also  stalled, in fact, it has been escalating. Between a recurring illness which leaves me tired and exhausted and the summer school holidays, I am walking the tight rope called patience which spans the expanse of screaming and yelling. Anyone else know that place? Someone else dancing the wire with me?

I continually put into practice the good old chestnuts of parenting in order to keep my cool.
1. Enforcing a smile on my face - it is hard to yell when you are smiling.
2. Distraction - either myself or my child - whichever works best at the time.
3. Stepping into their shoes - making myself imagine what it must be like from their perspective.
4. Visiting others in order to "share the love".

Fortunately for me I have also become very aware of my emotional barometer and am a little more forgiving of myself when having one of my bad days. I truly know now that I am doing my best as a parent and it will have to be good enough for my children. We do not know which experiences or things we say are going to stick to their souls so best we make sure that we do our utmost and forgive ourselves, over and over again.

Got any "old chestnuts" to share?

Acceptance

On my way to work on Tuesdsay morning I had a "moment" in my car where it came to me that I needed to be more accepting and allow things to be as they are. I am never sure where these thoughts come from and they happen semi-regularly. Once I was hanging washing on the line in the beautiful sunshine and heard loud and clear that there was no rush, that I didn't have to know what I wanted to be when I grew up, that it would all happen in its own time and that I am relatively young....  But I digress.

My "moment" in the car on Tuesday made me feel very peaceful. A sense of calm draped itself over me and I became sure that for me to feel peace it would be helpful to accept my day for what it would bring. To allow the day to unfold and not fight what might have been transpiring around me.

And it has been with me ever since. I feel much more accepting of the ebb and flow of my work as well as my family. It is incredible to me that just be agreeing with my inner self that I need to be more accepting and allowing, I actually have been! A miraculous feeling I can assure you.

Repeat after me, "it is what it is".     :-)

Is eight really enough?

I had the absolute pleasure of looking after my nieces and nephew last night. They had a sleep over so that my brother and his wife could have some quality time on their 10th wedding anniversary.

I am not a natural mother by any stretch, so the thought of looking after a total of five children as previously filled me with dread and trepidation. I would never had said "no" if asked, but inside I would have been nervous and anxious about my ability to cope.  As my children get older and I get a little wiser (cough!) I know that I can look after five children especially since they are family.

It is wonderful for me to get time with my nieces and nephew so as to build a relationship with them which, I am sure, will benefit all of us as time goes on. It is also so very wonderful for my children to get time with their cousins. My parents were immigrants to Australia so we have no family here other than us and as a result, I have no idea what it would be like to have a clutter of cousins to play with and just hang out. It looks like fun.

Enough background. My important learning this time around is that mothering children as a herd works so much better than the individual parenting that I usually do with my two children. Well, I already knew that, but this time around I paid attention to my emotional state and how it differed from other days and why.

I certainly was less frustrated because I didn't "sweat the small stuff". I found that I was much calmer as a result and the bigger stuff wasn't such an issue because I wasn't already at number 5 on the way to number 1 (that would be blast off). The change in perspective was intriguing. I couldn't afford to be affected by the (now) little stuff because that wouldn't do me any good. Amazing how you can know that when in the situation but not able to execute it when the pressure isn't on you.

And the children certainly worked a lot more out amongst themselves just because they could. If they were upset with one person there was always someone else. They amazingly played together for a long time and even cleaned out the cubbie which took quite some time and a huge coordinated effort. I was very impressed.

Reflecting on it, life is suffering. Both for me as a mother with the children not doing things the way I might have liked but letting that go in favour of dealing with larger issues.  And then for the children, as they might not have liked what was happening in their play and dealing with it. Great that they can experience that in a 'safe' environment such as the extended family unit. Brilliant all 'round. What a fantastic 24 hours.

You've got to be kidding!

My children were fortunate enough to have my parents look after them for a day last weekend. They were fortunate because my parents live a couple of hours away and they don't get quality time with them as regularly as we all would like.

The big lesson that I learnt was that we can sometimes be too serious, and particularly with our children.

My mother (Oma) was reading a book to the children and it was about a little boy who was so very well behaved. Every time she read a line about some fantastic thing he did, for example, tidying up his toys, my mum would turn to the kids and say "where's my bucket, blah!" They looked at her in amazement the first time and then it dawned on them - she was having fun! She was kidding around. Their little eyes lit up and they were in hysterics. Quickly joining in, there was a lot of vomiting going on at our place all of a sudden.

It was pretty hysterical. And it has continued on for quite a few days bringing much joy and laughter to the house.

So I have decided to add more silliness to my interactions with my children as I have always believed that life is about having fun and I haven't been doing enough of it lately.

I have been very serious, keeping everything ticking over - the house, my work, meeting the children's needs. I think someone from the outside might have looked at me and said, "where's my bucket, blah!"

What is your parenting philosophy?

I had one of those transforming conversations last week. The kind where a gentle light bulb goes off in your head. An 'aha' moment. I was chatting to my mum about my parenting and how I had recently felt judged for the way in which I cared for my children.

Let's take a moment to be candid - I too have been guilty of judging others. I don't like feeling judged and yet I sometimes find myself making judgments about other parents. Not good. I am a work in progress on rectifying that one.

Anyway, the comment about my parenting was made by a good friend of mine with great intentions and I wasn't particularly upset by it, but it did cause me some reflection. It gave me pause to assess my beliefs about parenting and what is at the core of my approach. I don't think we get enough time to actually reflect on our parenting, we are too busy doing it!

My mother and I talked about her theory of "keep pouring the love in and it will come out again somewhere, sometime". I love this concept. And I have to admit that it did work for my siblings and I. We are all very caring and compassionate individuals (if I do so say myself). My 'aha' moment came when I realised that I had to be true to myself. I had to be true to my beliefs about the world and what I am wanting from my relationship with my children. I fundamentally believe in the power of compassion.

I have reframed the parenting approach and call it "kindness". I am acting with kindness towards my children. When I start to feel frustrated and annoyed, I take a check of my emotions, calm my mind, and put on my kind voice. The kinder I am to my children, the kinder they will be to each other, their friends and hopefully, over time, the wider community (well, that is the plan).

And why not give it a try! I feel so much better for catching myself and thinking "kindness". This parenting philosophy makes me feel good about the way I treat my children, provides me with many more opportunities for connecting with them on a personal level and building those relationships which will be critical once I hit the chaos of the teenage years.

I still have boundaries - it is not about allowing them to behave badly - it is about addressing those issues with compassion and a quiet voice. I have already seen much improvement in their responses to me. After all, one of the main ways they learn is through modelling behaviour.

I think through why they might be acting the way that they are. It could be that they are tired, over stimulated, haven't eaten enough. There are always a myriad of reasons why children behave badly and it is rare that it is out of some vindictive need to torment their mother no matter how often it feels that must be the case.

Over the past week I have been considerably more attentive to their needs and finding that they are much more considerate of mine (could be imagining things...).

I'll keep you posted as to how it goes, but my husband and I have had a great chat about it and we are agreed. Our parenting approach is first and foremost "kindness". Pour in the love!

Being Seen

The complexity of the playground is not just for when you were a child! Unfortunately, the intricacies of our social structure continue on forever, even when we are parents sizing each other up across the heads of our children.

The school that my son attends is really lovely and I don't have any particular issues with the other mums but I do have to accept that there is still a sense of social hierarchy and appropriateness. We aren't all socially ept or always socially ept and accepting that as a starting point has been very beneficial for me. Interpret that to mean forgiving myself when I am unable to focus on a conversation because I am too busy working out where my younger child has gone or whether I will be able to ask that other mum whether her son wants to come for a play date.

Recently I was reading Buddhism for Mothers of Schoolchildren by Sarah Napthali, in particular, the section on "The Need to be Seen". It resonated for me, not for any conscious need that I have personally 'to be seen', but because I realised that by actually 'seeing' others in the school yard as you drop off and pick up your children, you meet a need within them. And by meeting this need you create a space of shared experiences and connectedness that perhaps helps us all feel a little less self conscious.

I remember when I studied Psychology, I found the idea of "normalising" to be really obvious. That is, when someone expresses an issue you discuss how normal that feeling or situation is and highlight the universal experience. Although we are all unique and special, most of our experiences are not. This helps the other person to feel comfortable expressing their feelings and then to feel ok about what is happening for them.

So it is with "being seen". In that moment when you lock eyes with another person and smile, you are giving a little nod to their inner self, their inner voices, their experiences, and saying "I am so with you, honey!".

After all, we are all in this together. Right?

Mindfulness

It has been interesting to watch just how mindful myself and my husband are with the children. I am absolutely sure that all of us do not pay enough attention to our children. I noticed a number of times when my kids had to say either mum or dad five or more times before we responded.  On the flip side, it is rare for me to get a response from my children without calling out for them more than once!

But for a child, what are they learning or taking on when we don't respond to them as soon as we can? Will they perhaps give up on asking us questions? Do they start to feel that what they have to say is not really valued? I wonder...

I adore Twitter and the lovely community that I have developed there, but it does take me away from my children from time to time and not in a good way.  This could be true of many past times that we have such as watching sports, reading books and magazines, surfing the net for good recipes and the like.

As a mum who also runs a business, I have learnt the value in dividing my day into segments where I focus on particular activities. This includes assigning clear times for my children, my work, my housework, fitness and social time (oh, and my marriage). Like all good mothers, I have to be flexible and know that my days never go to plan. Like right now! Better get back to the children - they are fascinated with my typing and I had better be mindful of them.

What choices are you making in this moment for your relationship with your children?

Feel your heart swell

Unfortunately, my running blog hasn't been established as yet, so I am going to have to blog this post here.... I am too fired up to actually manage to find the time to write it and then have nowhere to post it.

So, what am I fired up about right now? Right now, I am reveling in that wonderful feeling that comes from having watched an inspiring video. A running video.

But it doesn't have to be a running video, or any kind of sport for that matter. You know the videos I am talking about. Those videos that have you captivated. The music is perfect, the story resonates with your soul, and evokes feelings in you that make your heart swell. For some of us, our eyes tear up, our throats tighten, and we are totally focused on what we are seeing, there is nothing else that could possibly distract us from completely dissolving ourselves into what we are vicariously experiencing.

This week, for me, it was the Boston Marathon and Josh Cox of Powerbar pacing one of the runners, Geoff, to his first sub-3 hour marathon. What was it that got me? It was my ability to be able to relate to the desire for a specific time and to want to achieve something that has eluded you for so long but you just know inside yourself that you can do it.

It was the shot of the "group" running for 2:50. You can hear Josh saying, "this is the group", and it takes you to your place in a race. You might not know the other runners around you, but you start to label them. "Pink shirt & pony tail girl", "Guy in the red Nike shorts", or whatever feature you decide to define about them. A group of you start to pace together and this creates a bond out of thin air. You find yourself looking out for your "group" as you go through the drink stations. You hope that no one drops back. You find yourself saying some words to the girl in front who starts to drop her pace, doing what you can to inspire her even though your own legs are calling for a stop.

We don't "race" each other, we race "together".

I was also touched by some of the things that Josh had to say, like "your heart will get you through". He is so right. When your legs are heavy and your lungs are hurting, it isn't just your head that gets you through, but your heart. Your love for running, your love for achieving personal goals, your love for the freedom and space - whatever it is for you.

But in the end, feel your heart swell and just know, it is all about love.

The importance of being selfish

I have noticed that I have become a little more selfish than I used to be... And all for good reason.

As parents we often put the needs of our children before our own. This is a remarkable part of biology that we are so hard wired to respond to every demand of our child starting with those little "mew" sounds they make in the first few days. Now that my children are getting older I am starting to think about the impact of my actions on their development.

I was recently reading in Buddhism for Mothers of School Children (Sarah Napthali) the importance of allowing your children to experience discomfort. This resonated with me. How will our children grow up to face the challenges that life throw at them if they have had no experience of the smaller sufferings that can happen on a day to day basis.

Let's think about the simple examples in our lives. Heading out to the supermarket with your newborn and toddler which turns into a recipe for disaster. Quickly ducking out to do something forgetting that rain has been forecast and getting soaking wet. Carrying heavy shopping bags and a child through the local shopping centre until your arms ache. Flat tire on your car. Phone stops working. Laptop battery runs out in the middle of an important conference. On it goes including those incidents that leave you worn out and frazzled. Now, you made it through all that discomfort, but how do you think your children will fair?

My children are getting older and I can now see the importance of them developing emotional and physical resilience. No longer am I jumping at their every request and I am making sure that my husband doesn't either. I consider all the little decisions during the day which may enable them to learn how to manage themselves and take responsibility for what they do. It is a tough process as my hard wiring kicks in, but really, parenthood is ALL about guilt, so what is a little more when I know that it is for the greater good?

So what exactly am I doing? Well, I allow my children to be "bored" and find their own entertainment. I make my children carry their bags to and from school and kinder. I give them the space to work out their own fights - so long as no one gets hurt (too badly). I let them walk in the rain, get wet feet in the puddles, wear themselves out completely, climb too high in the trees, ride their scooters beyond tired. And many other simple things. Pushing them when they have had enough to just keep on going is slowly helping them to experience tiredness in their bodies and know how to manage it. By developing their own strategies for dealing with each other during play time means they are better when with their friends.

It is slowly all coming together and I am finding I am less emotionally caught up (read: roller coaster has flatten out) and I have more time for other things which make me a better mother.

When in doubt... don't.

Ever since Christmas, my husband and I have been having fairly indepth conversations about our business and our strategy for this year. These chats always include an investigation into the meaning of life and our "purpose" (if there is one). Most recently we have examined the desire for "success" and what is meant by that term in our culture. This has led me to examine how even parents have to "succeed" and what this looks like and the impact on our children.

At its most basic, we spend time not working in the best interest of our children, but in the best interest of how we "look" as parents. This is a fairly repulsive idea, and perhaps some of you are denying that you do this. It is ok, I can admit to it. As a fairly simple example, my daughter is pretty much a tomboy and chooses to dress herself on a regular basis, which does not make for a visually pleasant outcome. I have negotiated with (read: manipulated) her to change what she is wearing so that she looks half decent. Who am I doing that for? Obviously, me. Wouldn't it be more useful to allow her to continue to express her independence and individuality? Yes, is the answer.

Being a successful parent can also mean ensuring that your children attend all the "right" events. Are they booked in to swimming lessons, the local football, cricket, dance classes, karate, tennis or whatever else is accepted or expected socially? I have decided that my children are only going to do those things that they show an avid interest in and to be honest, I don't have any preferences as to what that might be. My son is showing an aptitude for dancing so I am currently encouraging that and letting him know what is available. Meanwhile my gorgeous girl is fixated on karate.

Spending time thinking about how I am doing as a parent and what other people think of me or my children, really is time that could be much better spent focussing on loving them, compassion for others and just having a good time together. All this talk of "success" in relation to our business has made it easy for me to conclude that life is all about the relationships we have with each other.  How much compassion and love we give ourselves and others, what difference we make in each moment.

Where else do we have such an opportunity to make a difference if not in the way we raise our children, the values we instill in them, in the love that we give them. Be great at it and enjoy yourself.