The Consciously Parenting Blog Archives - Page 14 of 17

14 Changes to Support Breastfeeding We Need to Make Now

Recently, I talked about the amazing properties and the complex role of breastmilk in our bodies and metabolism, the way our bodies store fat depending on our infant nutrition and food source, along with short and long-term health benefits of human milk for human babies. And I only scratched the surface. So why doesn’t everyone breastfeed? Or better yet, what

When You’re the One Who’s Losing It

I was losing it – totally at my breaking point with my kids. They were maybe 4 and 9 at the time and I really hated going anywhere in the car with them. And since we lived in a somewhat rural place, I had to get in the car often to go find civilization. That particular morning, my youngest didn’t

Healing Stories for the Inevitable Bumps in Life

My good friend, Lianne, just had a baby. She had an uneventful (but very fast!) home water birth. One of the most beautiful things for me was hearing the story of how she paused after her son was born and just listened to him express the experience he had just gone through. She listened and watched him and how he moved

Beyond “Because I said so!”

Q: There are times when I have to say no to something my child wants, but I’m not sure how to handle it when my child gets upset. Sometimes I just give in and let her have what she wants, but that doesn’t feel right and it makes it harder the next time I need to say no. I hate seeing

Giving Up Homeschool

I was completely sure of my school decision – to homeschool. I wasn’t going to “cheat” and buy pre made programs or do online classes. No, I was going to create a curriculum based on several states’ requirements, not just the one I was living in. I was going to do this schooling thing completely from scratch. (Or so my

Needs vs Strategies- NVC

I signed up for one of the courses I offer through my website this week: Parenting From Your Heart (NVC) with Stephanie Bachmann-Mattei. I knew the class would be good and that I would learn some helpful things. However, I was unprepared for the depth at which the material would touch me. I’m not new to the world of parenting

“Baby in the Back Seat”

We all have a story. I have to hold this adage in my heart often. I am constantly reminded of this truth from people I don’t understand and often do not like. Some days, I have a hard time following what I believe is right. I get caught up in the current news and the personal dramas being played out

The Case Against Breastfeeding

I just read Hanna Rosin’s article called The Case Against Breastfeeding published in The Atlantic and I’m feeling really sad. This is the reality of many mother’s experiences and it should not be taken lightly. Ms. Rosin expresses her discontentment with being a mother and her perceived requirement that she breastfeed her baby. She goes on to talk about how science really

Boundaries

Boundary: a line that marks the limits of an area; a dividing line. Unbeknownst to my husband, I have been fretting over the practice of setting boundaries with my kids while simultaneously trying to teach them how to navigate the world around them and express themselves in it. So, I was shocked to see my thoughts reflected back to me on the wall of

When Families are Estranged: What to Tell Your Kids

Question: We had a huge issue with repeated disrespect and abuse from my father and we have stopped having contact completely as a result. My kids don’t understand why they can’t see their grandfather anymore and I’m not really sure how to talk to them about it. They’re still really young and telling the whole story is inappropriate at their age.