"How do you do it?"

This came in this morning:  "Your positive thinking is an inspiration!  How do you do it?"

Here's my answer:

Me...in "school" with my most patient, wise, loving...and silly teacher! ♥

To answer your question, I got my Master's degree in Positive Thinking from the University of Being My Kid's Mom.

I learned everything I know about kindness, gentleness, and dropping my own unhelpful and negative stories and beliefs from watching my child cultivate joy while interacting with the world.

From the get-go, I believed that my child was bringing something to this world that hadn't been shamed or frightened out of him. And, I very much wanted to protect that natural wisdom and keep it whole for as long as possible. 

Mostly, I see my job as being kind and respectful, being my child's partner, and staying out of the way. And, I make sure that my thoughts and my actions align with those principles as best I can. I'm not perfect, so I slip up with a fair amount of frequency, but in the interest of being kind and respectful, I forgive myself and try to learn from it. 

Thanks for asking that question, because I had never really thought about it like that before. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to think about it.

To learn more about making peaceful parenting choices, you could get in on one of the Making the Switch to Peaceful Parenting teleclasses that are being often offered. It doesn't matter where you live (in fact, there are local call-in numbers for more than 55 countries!).  Visit the Upcoming Events page to find a class that is starting soon at a time that works for your schedule.

And, if you have a question you'd like to ask the Peaceful Parent Whisperer, click on this link to go to the Ask a Question Form.