TPJ 20: Dear Parents, This One’s For You (yes, YOU 😉)

No matter where you are on your parenting journey – just found out you are expecting, have a newborn at home, toddler, kids in school, kids at home, one child, 10 children, today’s episode is for you!

Being a parent can feel overwhelming, exhausting, isolating, confusing, and challenging.  The good news is it doesn’t have to.

In this episode, I’m sharing my advice for new parents, advice for parents of toddlers, and advice for parents that have been parenting for awhile now…here’s what you’ll hear:

[3:28] Let me tell you a story 📖

How would this story be different if she had access to resources we have today? Would she have enjoyed it more?

[8:26] Expectant Parents or New Parents – this one’s for you…

It can feel difficult with a newborn.  Sometimes it’s like you’re riding an emotional roller coaster.  You may find managing day to day functions difficult and have doubts about your capabilities as a parent.  Then when you do search for advice it all seems to contradict. One book says cosleep another says sleep train (checkout my podcast episode for more on that).  We so badly want to do what’s “right.”  The problem is our intuition can get drowned out by all the noise of what society (and the experts) say is right.

My message to you: You CAN take back control of this time and ENJOY it! With the right support you can feel confident in your parenting. You can silence the doubting voices in your head (like you can’t handle this or you’re messing it up). Give yourself permission to to create a life you and your child enjoy.

Childhood doesn’t just happen. You get to create it if you so choose.via @ParentingJunkieTweet This

[14:13] Have a toddler? This one’s for you…

At the toddler stage you may find yourself wondering where that adorable baby went and find yourself triggered at every instance by the tantrums, whining, demanding little being that now seems to want to run the show. (For more resources on whining and tantrums checkout my blog post on whining here and tantrums here.) Maybe you’ve added a second child as well and are now dealing with sibling rivalry.  Either way you’re probably full blown in the “should” stage… I should be rocking it, I should have my pre-baby body back, I should have this parenting thing down by now, I should… This season of life can definitely be overwhelming.  You find yourself in a victim mode of why does everyone else in the world get to workout, sleep, and live an instagram perfect life while I’m covered in spit-up, poop, and wearing the same pants for the 3rd day in a row now.

My message to you: You are the leader, you have so much more power and control than you think and than society is leading you to believe you have.

[20:01] Permission Granted (not that you need it)

You can take back control over your home, time, body, relationships, and life in a way that feels awesome.  Checkout my FREE Childhood Design Guide to get you started.  You can set up a daily and weekly flow that you enjoy.  One that reflects your goals and values.

My message to you: You CAN take care of you! Let go of the frenemies and replace them with people that will be in your corner and support you on your journey (like our amazing FB community LINK). Give yourself permission to be the parent YOU want to be!

[22:32] Have older kids? Multiple kids? This one’s for you…

At this stage life may seem like it has plateaued. You may find yourself wondering: where is the joy? Where is the passion? Where am I? Feeling like you’ve lost yourself or your relationships have become stagnant.  A sort of sense of feeling stuck where the daily grind is wearing you down. But even with all this you WANT to love it. You want someone to ask how you are doing and to feel deep down a response that says I’m doing amazing, I’m loving life and this is awesome. If you’re feeling alone in this checkout my blog post here for more on the dark side of parenting.

My message to you: You deserve to feel like you are more than enough. Give yourself permission to be the you that you want to be.  To create a home and life that is so completely you that you can’t help but love it.

[27:07] Find your tribe 👯‍♀️

There’s a reason you are reading this (or listening to it) – your vibe attracts your tribe.  You’ve found this worldwide intentional imperfect parent tribe in this vast internet because you also want to love parenting and parent from love.  Find your tribe of like minded parents to remind you of the permission you have given yourself to be the parent you want to be. If you’re already part of the Love Parenting with Avital FB group you can also join our Present Play tribe.

Checkout Present Play!

What stage are you currently in on your parenting journey? What do you struggle with the most? Do you give yourself permission to create the childhood both you and your child can enjoy? Come share your ideas (and struggles) over in our (free & awesome) FB community Love Parenting with Avital.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, I’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a selfie of you listening or a screenshot of the show, post it to instagram stories, and tag me @theparentingjunkie or feel free to DM me on instagram, I try to reply to as many as I can!

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Those shiny 5 star ratings and sweet reviews have me all gushy, thank you. But more importantly they help other parents discover the Parenting Junkie Show and spread the word about Loving parenting and Parenting from Love. If you have a moment to spare, those reviews mean the world to me, you can leave one here.

Don’t forget the doors to Present Play are only open through May 15th.  Come Check it Out Now!

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