TouchstoneZ

Today, I am honored to share a guest post on Child of the Nature Isle Blog, entitled
The Insane-Making Mothering Manifesto (a.k.a. Why I’m sometimes scared to be present with my children)

Here’s a snippet:

…I was forgetting that I was parenting another human being who would experience things in a multitude of ways that I could never and should never understand or control. I wanted to create the ideal environment for my children to flourish in intellectually and emotionally. But, creating the perfect mother would create a sort of sterility to their upbringing instead. This perfection was a way to control. It was a way to limit and contain the chaos inherent in being human. I wouldn’t let myself or my children be out of control with this list and I suppose it felt safe to be miserable.

There was a problem with dehumanizing my children. I love them. I couldn’t help it. From the moment they took their first breaths, I could see the affirmation of life, joy, and being human embodied in their bright eyes. To follow this manifesto was to deny this life. It was to deny their lives and this is something I couldn’t do.

It took me a little while longer to feel the same about myself…(read more)

Please stop by and read more of my guest post at Child of the Nature Isle.