Parenting today can often feel more like a contest than a gift...am I right?!
It seems that everyone is in this huge competition to be the best, the brightest, the smartest or the most popular...I know that feeling of wanting to scream at the top of my lungs when my kid wasn't invited to the "cool kids" birthday party because the other children thought he was weird (we call it Asperger's...but what did those kids know?) And I've hidden out of embarrassment when my son sat in the outfield picking dandelions (and his nose) during the "big game" while all the other parents' cheered their kiddos achievements. I get that parenting can suck some days when we look around and realize this isn't The Village our moms sold us. That although we're all on the same path, some days it feels like more people are trying to push us off course than they are trying to link arm with us and support us on the journey.
As a woman and a mother who's been through everything from depression to diagnoses (both my own ADD and my son who is on the autism spectrum) I get what it's like to want to spend days under the covers and wonder sometimes why I ever had kids in the first place! But I also know the joy of experiencing life through my children's innocent eyes and feeling like a superhero when something I do actually goes right!
I don't stand for ONE parenting platform...because honestly, in parenting and in pants...one size does NOT fit all. What I stand for is focusing on the greatness that YOU bring to YOUR parenting style. For creating the space where Moms, Dads, Grandparents, Educators and even kids feel safe to ask questions without fear of judgment, share without criticism and learn without shame.
I stand for celebrating each person for who they are and the unique brilliance they bring to the world...Because when we believe in ourselves, no child is a burden, no parent is a failure, no human being is without value, every dream is worth achieving and every life is worth living to the fullest.
I can’t promise we'll always agree, and I may come off a bit rough around the edges sometimes...but I will promise to be honest, to never judge, to allow anyone’s opinion, to hold everyone accountable to their truth and to laugh as hard and as often as possible.
