ParentTip: Taking Time Out to Nurture YOU Can Nurture Your Whole Family
This post goes out to all those parents delving into the frenzy of fall. The following poem by Virginia Satir, a well-known psychotherapist and pioneer of family therapy, is a poignant reminder that being present is truly at the heart of raising a healthy family. Read it, soak it in, and post it in your kitchen or family room – wherever the heart of your house it. Let it shine light on your day, inform your conversations around the table and in the car, and gently tuck you in bed at night.
“How different it is to be with a nurturing family! Immediately I can sense the aliveness, the genuineness, honesty and love. I feel the heart and soul present as well as the head.
I feel that if I lived in such a family, I would be listened to and would be interested in listening to others, I would be considered and would wish to consider others. I could openly show my affection as well as my pain and disapproval. I wouldn’t be afraid to take risk because everyone in my family would realize that some mistakes are bound to come with my risk-taking~ that my mistakes are a sign that I am growing. I would feel like a person in my own right~ noticed, valued, loved and clearly asked to notice, value and love others.
One can actually see and hear the vitality in such a family. The bodies are graceful, the facial expressions relaxed. People look at one another, not through one another or at the floor, and they speak in rich, clear voices. There is a flow and harmony in their relations with one another.
Members of a nurturing family feel free to tell each other how they feel. Anything can be talked about~ the disappointment, fears, hurts, angers, criticism, as well as the joys and achievements.
Nurturing families show evidence of planning, but if something interferes with the plan, they can readily make adjustments. This way they are able to handle more of life’s problems without panicking.
In a nurturing family it is easy to pick up the message that human life and human feelings are more important than anything else. These parents see themselves as leaders, not bosses, and they see their job as primarily one of teaching their child how to be truly human in all situations.”
*Life balance as a parent can be challenging! Taking a moment to nourish you can reduce stress and anxiety as well as open up new pathways for living. Want to grow, learn, and foster healthier ways of relating to yourself, your partner or co-parent, and your children? Join a parent group at GT Therapy Group this fall. Learn more about parent groups here and sign up to join us in connection this fall.
Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash