Welcome and Welcome Back!

The campus reflects fresh energy with the arrival of a new school year. New faces and familiar faces- rested, nervous and excited for the promise of a new year and a fresh start. On Monday, we said our first good-byes at home, in the car, and by the curb with our own feelings, hopes, and wishes for the coming school year and our kids. Whether they are navigating a new building and many unknowns or returning to campus to reunite with school friends, our kids are making new connections, forming new relationships, and learning new skills, content, and ways of being.

We were invited to participate in a webinar Rick Hanson presented on August 22, 2017, Lasting Happiness, Love & Wisdom, and the quote above resonated with us because it is validating to realize that we are not alone in our challenges. Cultivating well-being is what we hope to continue doing for our parent community. We look forward to passing along information, creating dialogue and, most importantly, discussing ways we can cultivate resilience in all areas of our lives- personally, professionally, and in our parenting.

If you are new to our community of parents, a little more background about us and why we started writing last February will provide some context and understanding.

Great loss and grief have given us an opportunity to reflect, learn, and connect with others and each other. On our shared journey, we’ve been learning to navigate the waves of life and tides of parenthood with transparency and vulnerability. While healing, we are learning to be mindful. We’ve realized that the best we can do is accept and love our imperfect selves and support each other in the process. We are choosing to celebrate being perfectly imperfect and to encourage that in others. As part of a larger community, we’ve learned that the stresses many of us feel are universal and come with the times. We want to offer resources and tools weekly that all can use and are dedicated to providing guidance, hope and inspiration for when you need it. It’s amazing what happens when we all come together.

So, here’s to new beginnings and great starts. We encourage all of us to take a little time to reflect on what well-being looks like for us personally and consider how we cultivate it within our families. And, in light of what is happening, how do we find resilience while observing the events in a greater context of our community, country and the world (The National Council of Family Relations)?

Wonderful Resources:

Gina Biegel’s Back-to-School Tips with a Mindful Twist

How to Boost Resilience in Midlifeby Tara Parker-Pope. Because WE need a boost as we’re parenting teens.

A list of a 100 things to do outside when you're a kid AND reminding ourselves to be a kid too. “On average, kids today only spend 4-7 minutes each day in unstructured play.” Summer may be over, but we can still make time to play or get outside, and we need it as much as our kids. Thankfully, we live in a place where we can comfortably get out all year long.

Celebrating being Perfectly Imperfect!

Mindfully Yours,