Grief, Mom Rage & My Parenting Transformation

After I became a mother my life completely changed. I realized that I'm not making choices only for myself, I'm responsible for the way I show up as a parent. Even though I had studied psychology and read many parenting books, I was struggling to embody this knowledge, especially in times of overwhelm, stress, lack of sleep, etc., which came to a peak in 2021. IT. WAS. A. YEAR. to say the least. 

The theme of the year was grief (and later, growth). I was lucky to get through the first wave of the pandemic pretty much unscathed, but the next 12 months took away my dad, an aunt and two uncles, and I also experienced two pregnancy losses. 

Throughout most of this time, I actually thought I was holding it together pretty well - especially when I was meditating daily (something that helps me enormously to really feel all the feels). But around the time of the 2nd pregnancy, the hormones and crazy back to school schedule took hold. The only way I can describe what I was feeling way more often than I would have liked is, RAGE.

I definitely had felt mom rage in the past, but it was becoming more frequent and I knew I wasn’t doing a great job of managing the anxiety and frustration I was feeling (especially when I felt like someone needed something from me at every waking moment, or I was triggered by sibling squabbles between my two boys). I was aware this was the culmination of many different factors, but I also knew that I needed help to work through this stage and show up better for myself and those around me. 

I had already committed to seeing my losses as an opportunity for growth, so I started searching for parenting support to build on that. I found the Jai Institute for Parenting and everything I read from the organization, as well as others who had gone through the coaching program, really resonated with me. It was everything I knew I wanted to be as a parent, but I needed help to get to the root of my triggers. So after lots of research and consideration, I took the plunge. 

To be honest, at the start I didn’t know if I’d actually do anything with the certification. I began the parent coach journey for myself and my family. But after experiencing the transformative shifts that resulted, including finding the antidote for mom rage (HINT: it's identifying your unmet needs and prioritizing self-care), I knew I had to help other parents. 

Now, almost a year later, I am so happy that I took a leap of faith and found something I’m truly passionate about. I am so excited to share all I've learned and continue helping other parents become more connected with their kids AND themselves.