MOMS: “WHERE’S OUR USER’S MANUAL?!”
Get married, have a baby, figure it out! Am I speaking for all of us when I say, “Hey Moms: Where’s our User’s Manual?!”
That’s a lot of pressure placed on us. What a high expectation if we have no idea what we are doing…
When I wanted to be a mental health therapist, I went to school for 6 years, read lots of books did thousands of “practice hours”, and took pass/fail exams, before being provided a license to conduct therapy. In order to maintain this license, there are multiple requirements. There is course work to ensure I am keeping up with the trends and meeting all educational requirements to practice. I have an Ethics Board ensuring I am adhering to the most ethical practices and people can report me to the Board if they ever believe any of my practices are not up to par.
Meanwhile, as a parent, we are handed over our little bundle of joy after giving birth and told, “Good luck!” The undertones of, “Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya – we need that hospital bed/room for the next new mommy!” – on our way out of the hospital.
“Hey Moms: Where’s our User’s Manual?!”
I believe there is no other job on planet earth more important than that of a parent. In addition to its value, it is the most difficult, under-appreciated, and we are provided the least amount of guidance.
I seek to validate your fears in parenthood. By encouraging Mothers to develop in-person & online community support and by offering practical parenting tips & advice, I will help you develop the confidence to be an effective parent.
Back in the day, parents were only successful because they raised their children with help from one another in a community; grandmothers played a key role in the family. I know not everyone is blessed with extended help from family. I also believe it is not impossible to create your own “community” of support and this is essential in successfully parenting your child. As I have said before, we were made for connections! (Link this to: Created for Connection Blog URL)
I would NEVER claim to “have all the answers” in regards to parenting. However, with several years of experience and training in development of children and years of teaching foster parents how to raise children whom have experienced significate amounts of trauma, and 14 years of experience parenting my own 4 children, I feel I have some value to add to your life as we navigate through this parenting journey, together.
