I’m sitting on the beach with my iPod earphones in, latte in hand, Mac open, soaking up the sunshine on this picture perfect day! My four kids and some friends are frolicking on the beach, discovering Malibu’s tide pools. It’s incredible to be here with all of them and see each of them experience their own pleasures. Maybe they’re finally getting to an independent age, or maybe this is just one of those special days.
I am leaving for my book tour tomorrow. Although I am very excited, I’m sad to leave my family. It will be a hectic trip and not the best one for them to join. I used to pack up my family everywhere I went, near and far. But this trip is all work, no play, and too many cities too fast to enjoy. I am so excited to meet everyone who will come out to my signings. I love to meet new families, hear their stories and personalize their books. Knowing that some of my written experiences have inspired and possibly freed other women from their challenges fills me with so many special feelings. It also makes me want to keep sharing and continue writing. All the feedback I get on ModernMom means a lot to me. Thank you for reading and exchanging with me. I hope to meet you on my tour.
I want to share a reality check that I had with my youngest, Shaya this week.
I was disciplining his sister, in one of my less-than-patient styles. She was really wearing on me this past week, and I found myself doing more yelling that discussing. MY BAD. After one very stern, squished-up-face complaint…my son sadly looked at me in his sweet and scared voice and said, “I don’t like you like that Mommy, you scare me.”
I didn’t react, I just took that in to a deep place. It was like a self check. I spoke briefly in my book about pausing moment in times of anger and frustration to take a look at yourself in the mirror to see how people on the other side may perceive you. My son immediately made me change my song and dance and switch to a more gentle but effective approach. When someone comes from a place of honesty and vulnerability, it’s so easy to hear them and consider their truth. Some of my kids do that all the time. I’m working on the others and working on that approach myself. I’ve always thought how much more tuned in we all could be and much better we could communicate if we were as uncensored as our children. I wish all of us could see things as clearly as simply as our children do.
I have to shut down now, the kids are calling me to join them in the water. Have a great day!
