The realities of being a balanced, happy parent as told by a very humble and passionate mama

First things first: Happy parents, happy children…

Here’s the thing, having children is one of life’s greatest joys. I know most people know this, and I know you know this especially if you’re reading this. But is is very, very hard to enjoy being a parent when you are struggling enjoying being a person. And on top of that, children are sponges. If you are unhappy or struggle to get through your days, your kids will absorb this and will most likely adopt that behavior or defense mechanism.

It is very important to be in a good place in your life as you become a parent. And if you already are a parent and don’t feel that you’re there, you can still get there. You can always get there- to that place where you feel happy with you, with who you are, with where you are, with who you’re with.

So as you begin to read this blog, I encourage you to do a self evaluation - one that I have gone through many times before. Some housekeeping if you will, of your life. First of all ask yourself a very simple question which answer can be somewhat tricky: “Are you happy?” Are you? Seriously, not just ok, happy. Of course everyone has good days and bad days. Everyone has good moods and bads, many of us get PMS once a month… but aside from that, or in spite of it, do you consider yourself a happy person? Think about who you are, where you are in your life, who you are with and why. Think about the things you have – and by that I don’t necessarily mean possessions. Do you have the love you need? Do you have the time for yourself you need? Do you have a job you love or at least enjoy most of the time? Do you have the support you need? If you don’t, how can you get it? Most of the time getting these things, having these things in your life is easier than we think, we might think they are hard to get, and some might be a bit tougher to achieve, but even acknowledging this and working on it is an achievement in itself. And even if some of these things are a bit tough to get, don’t you think they're worth working at?

But we lose the focus, get lost in our every day life and forget to prioritize us. We forget that we need to pay attention to us and to listen. Listen to our inner voice, our instinct which often times takes very good care of ourselves, and respond to it. I once read somewhere that prayer is us talking to God and instinct is God talking to us. It doesn’t matter what kind of God you believe in, we all have an instinct to listen to. Bottom-line is this - it’s hard to take care of and pay attention to anyone in your life when you’re not paying attention and taking care of yourself.

So as you venture yourself into reading about parenting – the joys, the challenges, ideas to make it more fun, easier… think about this. Just as much as you want to do everything you can for your kids’ well being, you need to do the same for yours. This comes back to them in more ways than one, so in essence, by doing this, you’re taking care of them too. Happy parents, happy children. It’s just the way it is.