I cannot thank you for this enough. I needed every word, right in this moment. For the past several years, your words have (I believe Divinely) come to me just when I feel most scared and alone, especially as a single mother. I love your beautiful books. Your words, and the love, gentle presence, and perspective found within them, offer my heart, mind, and body a place to rest. Provide me with more strength from which to face each new challenge. The phrase “only love today” has popped into my mind countless times over the years. Parenting my (now young adult) boys through these times has taken everything I’ve got. You have helped me through many dark times, and today’s message reminds me that my kids can probably handle more than I realize, that maybe I don’t have to stress or try to help them out so much. To have faith in them. You’ve also given me ideas for words I can say to them, as they navigate this moment. Thank you for your unique and powerful wayshowing. Your sharing has rippled through my family, and beyond.
Jodi, this affirmation is going to be printed and placed in my "Don't Give Up" binder that Natalie helped me put together 2 summers ago when I was really struggling. Your words are balm to my soul. Thank you so very much for taking time to write this affirmation to me. I love that you used the term wayshowing for my work... that is one of my favorite words, and I have never heard anyone use it for what I do. I am so touched.
Parenting through uncertain seasons requires so much courage, especially when you’re carrying it as a single mother. The strength you’re drawing on for your boys is something they will carry forward in ways you may not see yet. The love you’re giving them right now is not small; it is shaping their future. I’m grateful if my essay today eased even a bit of the pressure you’ve been carrying and reminded you that the love and belief you offer your boys is already helping them learn how to face what lies ahead.
Lovely. This is so useful. I developed a response for my teens to help me with this type of thing. Compassion first, remind them of their strengths, then ask if they want to problem solve. It's a discipline!
What a beautiful approach. Compassion first really does open the door for everything that follows. And I love that you ask before jumping into problem solving. That takes such intention. Thank you for sharing this, Elizabeth. This is so helpful!
This Rachel is such a gorgeous, tender offering that guides us gently in how to accompany our adult children in their hurt and heartache.
Breathing beside our loved one,
loving them through with compassion, holding them capable
and supporting without solutioning.
All ways to provide a steady, grounded presence that shines a light reminding our child of who they are and the resilience they have already created along the way.
Allowing space and time to reimagine and rushing to resolve, trusting in our child’s capability to fashion their forward.
As I read further into your gorgeous offering of this essay I noticed an invitation that needed my own “ yes”.
When bearing witness to the disappointment and derailment of our child’s plans and dreams there is a BIG need for us to provide solace to our own sweet selves.
Managing our own emotions in these heart-aching moments can make all the difference in how our loved one navigates. Validating their feelings without becoming absorbed keeps us from becoming a burden. Accepting this situation is not mine to fix focuses us on how we can become a support for our child.
My loving, listening, steady presence can be my child’s soft place to land, proving them breathe before they reimagine their forward.
Having 3 adult daughters and a high school aged son beckons me over and over to learn my PIECE in their stories is to cultivate my own PEACE full space within me. Then I can show up as a calm, caring presence in the midst of their upside- down ness. Tending to myself with kind care is more than taking care of myself, it’s caring deeply for my loved ones too.
Love I believe a guiding book on healthy, adult relationships might be a beautiful next offering from you. Maybe even a collaboration with your wise Natalie sharing her power full mindsets and practices.
Finding the sweet spot in relationships when our children are no longer in our homes anymore,
the radical acceptance of granting our children the agency to make their own choices and the lessons and consequences that can follow that we do not save them from can be some of the most heart-wrenching landscape as a mother to traverse.
It is not for the faint of heart and having you to hold our hand could provide a steady presence in this promising yet perilous journey love.
Thank you for taking the time to share such a thoughtful and heartfelt reflection. What a treasure trove of wisdom this comment was. I was especially moved by what you wrote about tending to our own inner peace so we can show up as a calm, steady presence for our children. That insight feels so true to me. When we care for our own tender hearts in these moments, it allows us to love them without becoming overwhelmed by the urge to fix everything.
I’m grateful you shared your perspective as a mother walking alongside four children in different seasons. It really is tender terrain, and it means so much to know we are walking it together. Your words about being a “soft place to land” captured something so beautiful.
I have been absent from here for a while and finally checked in today. I love your message and this song. Your essay inspired me to reflect on my own parenting and prompted me to send a message to my 28 and 29 year olds. I often worry that in my zest to be a "good" stay at home mom, I missed the mark at times. Sometimes instead of teaching resilience I rushed in to fix problems that weren't mine to solve. I think it made me feel important and needed and "Momly." I told them they are and always were capable of doing great things. I apologized for my well-intentioned interference and shared the song (which I love -- so catchy and a great message!). Thank you for sharing!
Dearest Kelli, to read that my essay prompted you to send a message to your children is deeply meaningful to me. What you said to them is so beautiful and so healing. I am honored to have played a small role in this loving connection.
Thank you for taking the time to check in and let me know. It always brings me joy to hear from someone whose name I recognize immediately, one I know by heart.
Speaking from a later in life perspective having a daughter in her early 40s your essay rings so true. For those of us who "helped" our children a little too much in times of trial it seems the lessons will eventually be learned, but at a stage where the stakes are much higher making recovery much harder. She grew up in the era of "everybody gets a ribbon" and cookies are doled out as rewards for just doing the right thing instead of letting "doing the right thing" be the reward. As a young adult she recognized what a disservice this was to her generation. It teaches entitlement not good work ethics. Thanks, Rachel, for sharing your wisdom.
Thank you for sharing this perspective, Cheryl. Parenting rarely comes with perfect clarity in the moment, and most of us are simply doing the best we can with what we understand at the time. I appreciate you adding your voice and experience to this conversation.
I am a mom of two adult daughters, an adult granddaughter and two young adult grandsons.
I did not always support my children with standing by them and assuring them they can get through whatever situation comes up, but sometimes I did and I’m so glad I did when I was able.
It is still relevant today and I’m so glad to be reminded of it. And to be reminded that I need to talk to myself that way too.🥰
Thank you for sharing this so honestly. None of us supports our children perfectly in every moment, but the times we do stand beside them with belief and encouragement matter deeply. And I love what you said about speaking to yourself that way too. We deserve that same compassion and reassurance as we move through life’s challenges.
I copied your article and sent it to both my daughters. I told them I knew I had not always done that, but that was my desire to do in the future. I asked them to call me on when I was trying to fix them and. That I would modify my language.
Wow. Thank you so much for sharing the article with your daughters, Madhuri. That kind of reflection and openness creates such healing. None of us gets it perfect as parents—we're all learning as we go. The fact that you're inviting them to call you out and being willing to shift your language says a lot about your love and humility. I'm really grateful you shared this.
Rachel - this piece was so beautiful and it obviously struck a chord with so many. Thank you for, again and again, providing me with words of wisdom to nudge me back on the path I want to be on in relation to my two beautiful daughters. I particularly loved the lines "For those of us who love them, their uncertainty unsettles something deep within us too. And as I watch my daughter rebuild from the ground up, I realize something I wish more of us knew: resilience is not something we hand our children; it is something they discover while we stand beside them, resisting the urge to carry what they are capable of lifting themselves."
Thank you, dear Laurie. I’m so grateful we don’t have to navigate this complex and ever changing landscape alone. My hand in yours… and only love today, Rachel
Thank You so much for this, Rachel. As always, your message is perfectly timed and came into my inbox right when I needed to hear it. Both my boys are going through their own challenges and I often feel helpless and rush to judge my parenting at what I should be doing, what I should not etc. etc. Your words were so moving and are making me cry.
"resilience is not something we hand our children; it is something they discover while we stand beside them, resisting the urge to carry what they are capable of lifting themselves."
Hello, dear friend. It is so GOOD to "see" you and know that this essay met you right where you are and felt like support. This brings me such peace today. Thank you for extending your hand. Life is so much better when we can do it together.
Thank you so much for this Rachel - my eldest is 12 and I can only hope I can help my kids discover this about themselves as well as you have supported your daughter to discover it about herself. Such a strong place to land when things get uncertain. Something I also need to remember to fall back on too! Thank you so much for this beautiful reminder ❤️❤️
Thank you so much for this feedback and for the love you’re already pouring into your 12-year-old. I can feel your intention so clearly and that matters more than anything.
One thing I am continuing to learn is that we don’t have to teach this as much as we model it. When our kids see us return to ourselves in hard moments… when they watch us steady, soften, begin again… it quietly becomes available to them too.
That “strong place to land” exists in you, too. And the more you practice returning to it, the more they’ll come to trust that they have one within themselves.
Thank you for receiving this reminder and for passing it on in the way you love your children every day.
Your writing is always the voice of God whispering gently to me, encouraging me, and loving me as I am. I am continually surprised (I shouldn’t be anymore!), that your words and insights are what I need, when I need them - and they help me, and my children through me. Thank you, Rachel, always thank you 🫶🏼
Dear Stephanie, this is such a meaningful affirmation. You brought me to tears. I will be printing this out and placing it in my "Don't Give Up" binder that Natalie helped me put together awhile back. These are divinely fueling words.
Thank you for this beautiful and thoughtful post. Natalie has a wonderful mentor and friend in you, her Mother. Your daughters are resilient, because you have demonstrated resilience. Your daughters are thoughtful, because you have demonstrated that thoughtfulness matters. Your daughters are tender and strong, because you have demonstrated both tenderness and strength.
There is nothing like being a Mother. We see ourselves within our Children - because we ARE within our Children. There is an inextricable molecular bond that unites the Life of a Mother to the Life of Her Child. Whether she knows it or not, every Woman who has birthed a Child, has, since conception, influenced the Life of their precious One long before their birth.
When a Woman is calm, her beating Heart has a clear and consistent rhythm, a beat that is steady and secure, comforting and directive, as if to say, "Grow, Little One, you are safe with me." Yet when a Woman is under duress as she carries her Child, we have as yet, little understanding of how a frightened Woman, whose Heartbeat is erratic, can unwittingly share her trauma with the Child within Her Body.
There is great Wisdom in knowing the difference between "reacting" and "responding." They are not the same. When one does not feel safe, it is common to see a "reaction," driven by unseen and overt threats. To "react" is to NOT think. But, to "respond," is the gift we give OurSelves - to pause for a moment or a day, to consider what to say or do. We must Learn that to be "responsible" is not just one more task or one more duty. Truly, to Know that we are meant to be "Response-able," able to respond thoughtfully, can change everything. Literally.
Knowingly or unknowingly, you have done just that. Thank you. You have guided your daughter to "respond" thoughtfully - with Kindness and Strength. There is no greater gifts.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and generous reflection. Your words about the difference between reacting and responding really resonated with me. That pause you describe—the space to respond with care rather than urgency—is something I am still learning and practicing every day.
I’m grateful for your kind words about my daughters. Being their mother has been one of the greatest teachers of my life. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and encouragement here.
Thank you for this beautiful post, Rachel. Your kind, insightful, beautifully written words are important guideposts in my parenting journey. I appreciate you. 💗
There is tremendous hidden wisdom in the tests and difficulties ee experience. I would not trade hardship for griwing inwardly. We grow into nobility. E
As a mother of three teen and young adult children, I needed to be reminded of this. I feel the weight of learning to parent children in this world that is crumbling before their eyes and breaking promises and telling lies routinely. It is hard to just BE with them, my impulse to rescue them is strong, but when I feed them confidence their resilience astonishes me.
Thank you for sharing this, Heather. Parenting in this moment feels unbearably heavy, and the impulse to rescue the ones we love is such a natural part of being a parent. I love what you said about feeding them confidence and watching their resilience emerge. That is such powerful work you are doing alongside them.
I am grateful we can walk together and remind each other that love is stronger than what is trying to tear us apart.
So true, Rachel. In my work with kids and their families I always remind them that having the times of disappointment, loss, or even failure gives them a bank of proof that they can survive, and that they have been through these trying times before, and look what happened…. They see that, oh yah, remember that time I thought I’d never get through? I did and actually, this new thing came into my life, or I took this turn and it was better….
If there are no failures or struggles to look back on, when the challenges inevitably arrive, their toolkits will be empty, and hope will be harder to muster up.
Thank you for sharing this perspective from your work, dear Gayle. I love the idea of a “bank of proof.” Those experiences really do become something our kids can draw on later when life asks them to begin again. What a gift you are giving the families you work with by helping them see that.
I cannot thank you for this enough. I needed every word, right in this moment. For the past several years, your words have (I believe Divinely) come to me just when I feel most scared and alone, especially as a single mother. I love your beautiful books. Your words, and the love, gentle presence, and perspective found within them, offer my heart, mind, and body a place to rest. Provide me with more strength from which to face each new challenge. The phrase “only love today” has popped into my mind countless times over the years. Parenting my (now young adult) boys through these times has taken everything I’ve got. You have helped me through many dark times, and today’s message reminds me that my kids can probably handle more than I realize, that maybe I don’t have to stress or try to help them out so much. To have faith in them. You’ve also given me ideas for words I can say to them, as they navigate this moment. Thank you for your unique and powerful wayshowing. Your sharing has rippled through my family, and beyond.
Jodi, this affirmation is going to be printed and placed in my "Don't Give Up" binder that Natalie helped me put together 2 summers ago when I was really struggling. Your words are balm to my soul. Thank you so very much for taking time to write this affirmation to me. I love that you used the term wayshowing for my work... that is one of my favorite words, and I have never heard anyone use it for what I do. I am so touched.
Parenting through uncertain seasons requires so much courage, especially when you’re carrying it as a single mother. The strength you’re drawing on for your boys is something they will carry forward in ways you may not see yet. The love you’re giving them right now is not small; it is shaping their future. I’m grateful if my essay today eased even a bit of the pressure you’ve been carrying and reminded you that the love and belief you offer your boys is already helping them learn how to face what lies ahead.
Only love today,
Rachel
Lovely. This is so useful. I developed a response for my teens to help me with this type of thing. Compassion first, remind them of their strengths, then ask if they want to problem solve. It's a discipline!
What a beautiful approach. Compassion first really does open the door for everything that follows. And I love that you ask before jumping into problem solving. That takes such intention. Thank you for sharing this, Elizabeth. This is so helpful!
This Rachel is such a gorgeous, tender offering that guides us gently in how to accompany our adult children in their hurt and heartache.
Breathing beside our loved one,
loving them through with compassion, holding them capable
and supporting without solutioning.
All ways to provide a steady, grounded presence that shines a light reminding our child of who they are and the resilience they have already created along the way.
Allowing space and time to reimagine and rushing to resolve, trusting in our child’s capability to fashion their forward.
As I read further into your gorgeous offering of this essay I noticed an invitation that needed my own “ yes”.
When bearing witness to the disappointment and derailment of our child’s plans and dreams there is a BIG need for us to provide solace to our own sweet selves.
Managing our own emotions in these heart-aching moments can make all the difference in how our loved one navigates. Validating their feelings without becoming absorbed keeps us from becoming a burden. Accepting this situation is not mine to fix focuses us on how we can become a support for our child.
My loving, listening, steady presence can be my child’s soft place to land, proving them breathe before they reimagine their forward.
Having 3 adult daughters and a high school aged son beckons me over and over to learn my PIECE in their stories is to cultivate my own PEACE full space within me. Then I can show up as a calm, caring presence in the midst of their upside- down ness. Tending to myself with kind care is more than taking care of myself, it’s caring deeply for my loved ones too.
Love I believe a guiding book on healthy, adult relationships might be a beautiful next offering from you. Maybe even a collaboration with your wise Natalie sharing her power full mindsets and practices.
Finding the sweet spot in relationships when our children are no longer in our homes anymore,
the radical acceptance of granting our children the agency to make their own choices and the lessons and consequences that can follow that we do not save them from can be some of the most heart-wrenching landscape as a mother to traverse.
It is not for the faint of heart and having you to hold our hand could provide a steady presence in this promising yet perilous journey love.
Oh sweet Debby,
Thank you for taking the time to share such a thoughtful and heartfelt reflection. What a treasure trove of wisdom this comment was. I was especially moved by what you wrote about tending to our own inner peace so we can show up as a calm, steady presence for our children. That insight feels so true to me. When we care for our own tender hearts in these moments, it allows us to love them without becoming overwhelmed by the urge to fix everything.
I’m grateful you shared your perspective as a mother walking alongside four children in different seasons. It really is tender terrain, and it means so much to know we are walking it together. Your words about being a “soft place to land” captured something so beautiful.
Thank you for being part of this conversation. 🩵
Love! It’s made the moving forward something to look forward to with excitement rather than dread. So grateful!
Thank you, dear Carrie. I know you understand this process with our children so, so well. Grateful to be in it together.
I have been absent from here for a while and finally checked in today. I love your message and this song. Your essay inspired me to reflect on my own parenting and prompted me to send a message to my 28 and 29 year olds. I often worry that in my zest to be a "good" stay at home mom, I missed the mark at times. Sometimes instead of teaching resilience I rushed in to fix problems that weren't mine to solve. I think it made me feel important and needed and "Momly." I told them they are and always were capable of doing great things. I apologized for my well-intentioned interference and shared the song (which I love -- so catchy and a great message!). Thank you for sharing!
Dearest Kelli, to read that my essay prompted you to send a message to your children is deeply meaningful to me. What you said to them is so beautiful and so healing. I am honored to have played a small role in this loving connection.
Thank you for taking the time to check in and let me know. It always brings me joy to hear from someone whose name I recognize immediately, one I know by heart.
My hand in yours always,
Rachel
Speaking from a later in life perspective having a daughter in her early 40s your essay rings so true. For those of us who "helped" our children a little too much in times of trial it seems the lessons will eventually be learned, but at a stage where the stakes are much higher making recovery much harder. She grew up in the era of "everybody gets a ribbon" and cookies are doled out as rewards for just doing the right thing instead of letting "doing the right thing" be the reward. As a young adult she recognized what a disservice this was to her generation. It teaches entitlement not good work ethics. Thanks, Rachel, for sharing your wisdom.
Thank you for sharing this perspective, Cheryl. Parenting rarely comes with perfect clarity in the moment, and most of us are simply doing the best we can with what we understand at the time. I appreciate you adding your voice and experience to this conversation.
My hand in yours,
Rachel
I am a mom of two adult daughters, an adult granddaughter and two young adult grandsons.
I did not always support my children with standing by them and assuring them they can get through whatever situation comes up, but sometimes I did and I’m so glad I did when I was able.
It is still relevant today and I’m so glad to be reminded of it. And to be reminded that I need to talk to myself that way too.🥰
Dearest Madhuri,
Thank you for sharing this so honestly. None of us supports our children perfectly in every moment, but the times we do stand beside them with belief and encouragement matter deeply. And I love what you said about speaking to yourself that way too. We deserve that same compassion and reassurance as we move through life’s challenges.
My hand in yours,
Rachel
I copied your article and sent it to both my daughters. I told them I knew I had not always done that, but that was my desire to do in the future. I asked them to call me on when I was trying to fix them and. That I would modify my language.
Wow. Thank you so much for sharing the article with your daughters, Madhuri. That kind of reflection and openness creates such healing. None of us gets it perfect as parents—we're all learning as we go. The fact that you're inviting them to call you out and being willing to shift your language says a lot about your love and humility. I'm really grateful you shared this.
My hand in yours,
Rachel
Rachel - this piece was so beautiful and it obviously struck a chord with so many. Thank you for, again and again, providing me with words of wisdom to nudge me back on the path I want to be on in relation to my two beautiful daughters. I particularly loved the lines "For those of us who love them, their uncertainty unsettles something deep within us too. And as I watch my daughter rebuild from the ground up, I realize something I wish more of us knew: resilience is not something we hand our children; it is something they discover while we stand beside them, resisting the urge to carry what they are capable of lifting themselves."
Thank you, dear Laurie. I’m so grateful we don’t have to navigate this complex and ever changing landscape alone. My hand in yours… and only love today, Rachel
Thank You so much for this, Rachel. As always, your message is perfectly timed and came into my inbox right when I needed to hear it. Both my boys are going through their own challenges and I often feel helpless and rush to judge my parenting at what I should be doing, what I should not etc. etc. Your words were so moving and are making me cry.
"resilience is not something we hand our children; it is something they discover while we stand beside them, resisting the urge to carry what they are capable of lifting themselves."
Thank you!
Hello, dear friend. It is so GOOD to "see" you and know that this essay met you right where you are and felt like support. This brings me such peace today. Thank you for extending your hand. Life is so much better when we can do it together.
Only love today,
Rachel
Thank you so much for this Rachel - my eldest is 12 and I can only hope I can help my kids discover this about themselves as well as you have supported your daughter to discover it about herself. Such a strong place to land when things get uncertain. Something I also need to remember to fall back on too! Thank you so much for this beautiful reminder ❤️❤️
Dear Jenny,
Thank you so much for this feedback and for the love you’re already pouring into your 12-year-old. I can feel your intention so clearly and that matters more than anything.
One thing I am continuing to learn is that we don’t have to teach this as much as we model it. When our kids see us return to ourselves in hard moments… when they watch us steady, soften, begin again… it quietly becomes available to them too.
That “strong place to land” exists in you, too. And the more you practice returning to it, the more they’ll come to trust that they have one within themselves.
Thank you for receiving this reminder and for passing it on in the way you love your children every day.
My hand in yours,
Rachel
Your writing is always the voice of God whispering gently to me, encouraging me, and loving me as I am. I am continually surprised (I shouldn’t be anymore!), that your words and insights are what I need, when I need them - and they help me, and my children through me. Thank you, Rachel, always thank you 🫶🏼
Dear Stephanie, this is such a meaningful affirmation. You brought me to tears. I will be printing this out and placing it in my "Don't Give Up" binder that Natalie helped me put together awhile back. These are divinely fueling words.
My hand in yours,
Rachel
Dear Rachel,
Thank you for this beautiful and thoughtful post. Natalie has a wonderful mentor and friend in you, her Mother. Your daughters are resilient, because you have demonstrated resilience. Your daughters are thoughtful, because you have demonstrated that thoughtfulness matters. Your daughters are tender and strong, because you have demonstrated both tenderness and strength.
There is nothing like being a Mother. We see ourselves within our Children - because we ARE within our Children. There is an inextricable molecular bond that unites the Life of a Mother to the Life of Her Child. Whether she knows it or not, every Woman who has birthed a Child, has, since conception, influenced the Life of their precious One long before their birth.
When a Woman is calm, her beating Heart has a clear and consistent rhythm, a beat that is steady and secure, comforting and directive, as if to say, "Grow, Little One, you are safe with me." Yet when a Woman is under duress as she carries her Child, we have as yet, little understanding of how a frightened Woman, whose Heartbeat is erratic, can unwittingly share her trauma with the Child within Her Body.
There is great Wisdom in knowing the difference between "reacting" and "responding." They are not the same. When one does not feel safe, it is common to see a "reaction," driven by unseen and overt threats. To "react" is to NOT think. But, to "respond," is the gift we give OurSelves - to pause for a moment or a day, to consider what to say or do. We must Learn that to be "responsible" is not just one more task or one more duty. Truly, to Know that we are meant to be "Response-able," able to respond thoughtfully, can change everything. Literally.
Knowingly or unknowingly, you have done just that. Thank you. You have guided your daughter to "respond" thoughtfully - with Kindness and Strength. There is no greater gifts.
Keep Being a Mama Bear.
All the Best - Always and In All Ways!
Elaine Grohman
Dear Elaine,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and generous reflection. Your words about the difference between reacting and responding really resonated with me. That pause you describe—the space to respond with care rather than urgency—is something I am still learning and practicing every day.
I’m grateful for your kind words about my daughters. Being their mother has been one of the greatest teachers of my life. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and encouragement here.
My hand in yours,
Rachel
Keep being You! You are magical...
Thank you for this beautiful post, Rachel. Your kind, insightful, beautifully written words are important guideposts in my parenting journey. I appreciate you. 💗
This is so affirming to me, Kate. Thank you so much.
There is tremendous hidden wisdom in the tests and difficulties ee experience. I would not trade hardship for griwing inwardly. We grow into nobility. E
What a great point, Esther. Thank you!
As a mother of three teen and young adult children, I needed to be reminded of this. I feel the weight of learning to parent children in this world that is crumbling before their eyes and breaking promises and telling lies routinely. It is hard to just BE with them, my impulse to rescue them is strong, but when I feed them confidence their resilience astonishes me.
Thank you for sharing this, Heather. Parenting in this moment feels unbearably heavy, and the impulse to rescue the ones we love is such a natural part of being a parent. I love what you said about feeding them confidence and watching their resilience emerge. That is such powerful work you are doing alongside them.
I am grateful we can walk together and remind each other that love is stronger than what is trying to tear us apart.
So true, Rachel. In my work with kids and their families I always remind them that having the times of disappointment, loss, or even failure gives them a bank of proof that they can survive, and that they have been through these trying times before, and look what happened…. They see that, oh yah, remember that time I thought I’d never get through? I did and actually, this new thing came into my life, or I took this turn and it was better….
If there are no failures or struggles to look back on, when the challenges inevitably arrive, their toolkits will be empty, and hope will be harder to muster up.
Thank you for sharing this perspective from your work, dear Gayle. I love the idea of a “bank of proof.” Those experiences really do become something our kids can draw on later when life asks them to begin again. What a gift you are giving the families you work with by helping them see that.
My hand in yours,
Rachel