Feeling Together Blog
EMOTIONAL WELLNESS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
What to Say When There Are No Words
This week, I find myself at a loss for words. I rarely have trouble sitting down and writing. Instead of writing or doing anything really, I've napped off and on. I wish I had written on schedule and produced a blog post on Monday for publication later in the week. If...
An Exploration of Good-Enough Parenting
D. W. Winnicott coined the term “good enough mother” in 1953. The British pediatrician and psychoanalyst suggested that mothers need not be concerned with perfection, but rather with being good enough. In honor of Mother’s Day, I’d like to explore a bit about what...
Journaling: A Metaphor for Holding & Accepting
One of the first things I did last week when I arrived early for a yoga retreat was open my laptop and log in to a prose poetry class. I didn't want to miss the prompts and subsequent delight in something new as it appeared on the page before me. I don't always like...
The Importance of Nurturing Talent in Supervision
Every once in a while my husband returns from a trip or online seminar with new books in our audiobook file. They generally have to do with management and leadership, which is a refreshing change from all of the science fiction he downloads. Over the weekend, I...
Dear Parents, Take Advantage of Rituals
Dear Parents, As our children are headed into the school year, whatever that looks like for you, I'd like to share a few observations: I had more hope at the end of last school year than I do at the beginning of this one. I don't think I'm alone because a couple of...
Confirmations, Signs, and Moving Forward
I've been writing and processing about life, meaning, and moving forward at https://storygarden.substack.com. It's my attempt to inspire authentic living. I hope you will check it out. That writing collided with me personally and professionally in a beautiful way....
Create Moments of Playful Connection
I thought about making a list: "Ten ways to create moments of playful connection with your children." "Playfully connect with your child to fortify their emotional regulation during COVID-19.” “Five ways children are reaching out to us to meet their needs without...
Processing 2020
My mind is a sieve. Words slip by like shadows without my grasping them. And, yet, true to a form I hope foreshadows 2021, I am sitting and writing through the clouds that are my mind. Cloudiness is normal. I pause, for just a moment, not sure what to write next. I...
Play Therapy: Paper Chain Mood Rings
When my husband deployed to Afghanistan a couple of years ago, we had a rough idea of how long he would be gone. I made a chain of 220 paper rings. At the end of each day, my four boys and I broke one of the paper rings off. This helped my younger children visualize...
The Good: Opportunities to Connect
I have been following this pandemic since January. I've called every turn that affects us as a family, preparing along the way. “The kids have two more weeks at school max.” “We are not going skiing for spring break. The slopes will be closed well before April.” “I...
Learning from Home/Parenting During a Crisis
I am not homeschooling my children. I am schooling them from home. Not only that, but I am also getting my children through the first crisis in their lives, a global crisis. I am a mother first. My children are human beings first. I am balancing getting them through...
Talking to Children about Feelings amid Coronavirus
Follow a mother and her 6-year-old son as they explore their emotions amid the coronavirus outbreak. This is a fictional story based on my experiences with my son. He usually explores his feelings at night after I read to him. Lately, he has been exploring feelings of...