You are the single most powerful force in your kid's life

I don't have kids, but I often think about what it means to be a woman, a sister, and a mother in this world.

We used to live in tribes, villages, where everyone raised everyone's kids. Everyone participated in chores, in upkeep, in cooking. Community was what kept mothers sane – happy, even.

And now we are divided by walls, well-kept lawns, and a bunch of differences we give too much value to. We feel connected yet isolated in a whole new way.

We also compare our lives to the lives we have made up combining everyone else's highlight reels. We think we are supposed to be able to do everything and more by ourselves. We feel overwhelmed. When we can't do it all, we worry that we aren't doing the best we can for our kids.

BUT.

An over-brimming laundry basket has no bearing on your ability as a mother.

What really matters?

You keep them fed, rested, clean, and clothed.

You make them laugh, think, and learn boundaries.

You sense them feeling sad, hurt, ashamed, or lonely.

You help them feel loved, comforted, safe, and like they belong.

You inspire them to be vulnerable, to be kind, to be themselves.

You are their hero, their most trusted confidant, their guiding light – and the one who peels them off the floor on aisle 7.

That makes you the single most powerful force in your kid's life.

So put your own oxygen mask on first, do things that make your heart glow, and give yourself some well-deserved breaks. Time to yourself is not frivolous – it's what will make you have love and energy for all of the above. And who knows, maybe even that laundry basket?

//

I would love to capture you being your kiddo's everyday hero, so please get in touch to talk about a documentary family session of your own.