This post is courtesy of Phillipa Bray, my partner in The Conscious Parenting Programme. The programme for parents who want to deepen the unconditional love for themselves and their families. In this post, Pip highlights that the guilt of spending time, energy and money on yourself is one of the great doorways into that unconditional love.
I don’t think many of you know but Helen and I used to both work at Boots and never once crossed paths, which always blows my mind. One of the most significant realisations from my time at Boots was that data shows that mum’s won’t spend money on treating themselves because it seems like they are taking away from the family’s needs.
Hence the super smart decision from Boots to encourage mum’s to exchange their free Ad Card points for luxury items, with zero impact on the family.
I share this because, whilst Helen is having some (hopefully) lovely family time on holiday I have had the real pleasure of chatting to those of you who are interested in the Conscious Parenting programme and I have noticed a bit of a theme … mum’s don’t want to spend their time, energy and money on themselves.
So, let me reassure you mum’s, dad’s and carer’s of all kinds … the stuff that you are pushing down, trying not to look at, pretending it doesn’t matter, hiding in your locker and gaffer taping up again and again … that stuff that has nothing to do with parenting, has EVERYTHING to do with parenting and IS impacting your interaction with your kids, no matter how young or old they are.
The (not so subtle) wondering if you deserve more from life.
The inner niggle that this wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
The tender tears that you don’t have time for.
The voice that says, ‘I will find time to look at the ‘me’ stuff when the kids are grown’
These are all vital starting points for your journey into Conscious Parenting.
“The doors to the world of the wild self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.” Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Are you interested in opening some doors for you and your family?
Join us on our 6 month deep enquiry programme into Conscious Parenting.
Book here.
Watch our videos on YouTube here.
Or chat to me or Helen here.