Healing your inner child through conscious parenting
Do You Remember Who You Were?
God knows, my parenting has been far from perfect.However, there is something (well actually 2 things) that I’m particularly proud of: 1. The resident teenager knows he is deeply loved (we could end right there!) and 2. I tell him every day that he can do, be and become anything he wants to. I tell him to create a life out of what he is passionate about – to not solely reserve that passion for weekends, in between life commitments. In case you were wondering, that passion is sports. Sports, sports and take me out to the ball game. For as long as I can remember, we’ve had a house filled with slightly pungent dirty cleats and sports paraphernalia. Be still my heart. And I have been everything from a soccer coach to a cheering parent on the sidelines through both the victories and the agonies of defeat.Can you think back to a time in your own life where someone squashed a dream, told you that you couldn’t achieve something and shuttled you off in a different direction, as you watched your vision wane on the horizon? Having a passion pushed to the side doesn’t make it go away. It holds on like embers in a fireplace, slowly burning – awaiting your stoking. Is there an ember with your name on it?Is there something you feel called to do, but believe that it’s too late, or that you somehow missed that bus?While identifying our purpose and passion from an early age can spare us some suffering through a midlife crisis, regret and resentment – there is no such thing as too late.
These weren’t the conversations I was having in my house growing up and they certainly weren’t the ones my parents were having with their parents, but it’s time to shift that.
Of course we want to support our kid’s dreams…but do we really support them?I do...because not only do I love him with every fiber of my being, I recognize that I am also healing a part of myself in the process.You see, I believe our children are far more powerful than we give them credit for – and we were once those children. Do you remember? Before the world dulls down their sparkle, we need to listen more and speak less, while they still remember who they are.When I was a teenager growing up with the canopy bed, the pink shag carpeting and the walls covered with posters (classic Marcia Brady), I actually knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to work in broadcasting. I wanted to be Diane Sawyer. Somewhere along the way a lot of life happened in between – many highs and commensurate lows (lots of busses passed me by). Regardless, it would be decades of discarding the pieces of a dream, as they faded into the background like an old family photo slowly losing its pigment, its soul. I didn’t know I could go back. I didn’t know I could pick up where I left off at any given moment and choose again.Guess what? I still want to be Diane Sawyer – well, not literally, but my dream of broadcasting, interviewing and creating is alive and well AAAALLLL these years later. I always had a soul call to write and to create, and realigning with that has been a journey home. Let’s just say I took the long way.
What really matters is that I have arrived – and so can you.
That said, I’m not glossing over the practicalities or realities of what is needed to do so. That’s your path to define. I just want to remind you that at anytime you can walk down a new street. Meanwhile, I don’t have time to beat myself up about everything in between or how long it took to arrive. I’m focused on the here and now, reclaiming my power…and reminding my son of his.These are the conversations that excite me and as a matter of fact, I want to share some of the things he has manifested because of the belief of all things possible.When he was 14 years old he managed to communicate with the owner of the New York Knicks (pro basketball team) and arranged to spend an afternoon with the General Manager at the team facility. This had nothing to do with anyone or anything beyond his own action steps. Most recently, he started a podcast and recruited a posse of his best friends to help produce it. They are dedicated to talking sports and becoming the voice of youth in that arena.Just last week, ESPN did a shout-out for their podcast, “Coast to Coast Sports.” Through this experience, my kid is learning how to reach out to agents, teams and players for interviews. It has sparked much conversation in our house and has been a beautiful thing to watch unfold.In honor of healing our inner child and supporting the youth around us – I’m doing a little shout out to “Coast to Coast Sports.” I’m proud of their dedication to make something happen that perhaps seems outlandish to others. Check out their Instagram and Twitter feeds. Click LIKE for the Inner Child Team!I want to be clear, telling my son or anyone, to follow one’s passion isn’t about being unrealistic – it’s about:
- Staying aligned with what excites you
- Taking action steps in that direction
- Sprinkling it with faith
Is there an aspect of your life that has been shaped by influences other than your inner compass?If you took a moment and closed your eyes, allowing yourself to reconnect with that inner you:
- Where would you be directed to go?
- What would you be inspired to let go of, and to move towards?
- What action step (however small) could you take right now in that direction?
You know, the busses are running all day. Hop on the one that’s moving toward your dreams. If you miss that one, don’t fret – there’s another coming right behind it.