Is this you?

You're dedicated to parenting gently... 

but you find it difficult to communicate your limits to your child in a way that resonates with you?

You feel the impulse of your "no" but something holds you back from speaking it... so you don't?

And when you do, you're at a loss for how to meet your child's reaction when it's big and loud?

Perhaps you stretch yourself so far that you feel resentful and catch yourself snapping even at little things? 

Perhaps you have vowed to speak your limits with loving calm, but instead what happens is that you suddenly loose patience and speak harshly, again and again, and the cycle of guilt continues?

I know how painful this can be because I've done it myself. And the first thing I want to tell you is that there's nothing wrong with you. 

There are good reasons for all of this

..and I want to help you beyond the “why?!?!”and self-judgement and into compassion and transformation.

Not in the name of making you better.

In fact, that whole idea of a "being better" is often at the core of why saying no has been difficult so far.

And I think you know that.

You're aware that there's another way than either being harsh or permissive. It's just that life with kids is too busy for you to find that third alternative in-stride, and you know it requires a little peace and some support. 

I am here to offer a safe space for you to find that third alternative. 

To support you in parenting the way you most want and to heal and grow in the process.

INTRODUCING:

The Saying No and Staying Close 

Workshop

In this workshop, we’ll explore:

🌿 Why saying no can feel so difficult, even when you know all the reasons it matters

🌿 The two types of situations when we feel the need to speak our no and why they challenge us in uniquely different ways

🌿 What happens in you when your child is unwilling to cooperate

🌿 The link between your own early experiences and how you relate to limits today

🌿 Why anger and powerlessness can show up so quickly, and what they’re trying to tell you

🌿 How to begin honoring your no in ways that deeply resonates for you and which support the connection between you and your child

What you will leave with:

🌿 More compassion for yourself when you act in ways you used to feel guilty about, and a deeper understanding of what's happening inside you

🌿 Feeling clear about when and why to say no, and more willing to follow through the next day, instead of getting stuck in guilt or dread

🌿 Feeling more prepared to communicate your limits because you know how to do it with honesty and compassion

🌿 Knowing how to stay present when your child reacts to your no, without giving in or trying to control their feelings 

🌿 Know how honoring your no in these ways can help both you and your child feel more safe and connected 

🌿 Beginning to relate to these everyday challenges differently: as opportunities to free yourself from patterns that don’t serve you and to heal past painful experiences

🌿 A taste of what it feels like to be supported in your parenting by others who truly see and appreciate you, without any judgment

Who this is for

You’re drawn to aware parenting, but feel stuck or powerless in situations when you want to communicate a limit

Perhaps you feel torn between staying connected and holding a limit – because you're afraid your child will feel hurt, scared or disappointed? 

You recognize the moments where your child resists — and something shifts inside you. Perhaps into anger, powerlessness or resentment?

You recognize that those reactions are sometimes out of proportion with what is happening in the present

You want to change the pattern but you don't know how, and perhaps the feeling of guilt weighs you down?

You want to feel clear and grounded when you say no — and have the capacity to receive your child's reaction with compassion

You long to stay connected to your child without abandoning your own needs

This workshop might not be the right space for you if you’re mainly looking for strategies to change your child’s behaviour, or quick tools to make things easier short term.

This is a space to slow down and go deep. One where you are invited to turn inward, and gently begin to understand and nurture what's there so that lasting transformation can happen:

So that you can say no when you want to and in ways that feel good to you.

You’re very welcome here if that feels like something you have a yes for.

This workshop is for 12 participants maximum.

No one is to blame.

The old paradigm has made many of us associate saying no with harshness, loss of connection and safety. 

And yet, it is in our role as parents that we become painfully aware of any harshness that we have absorbed from growing up in that paradigm because we see ourselves acting it out. When we're tired and having big feelings of our own, we have less capacity to respond with compassion. We say and do things that we don't really want to, - least of all toward our beloved child. Or we make a big effort to keep our reactions inside, and become exhausted by it.

We are not to blame, nor are our parents. We can take responsibility for this inheritance by freeing ourselves from it and creating a new paradigm from the inside out. 

With the Aware Parenting approach we can offer our child a chance to heal from stress and trauma when it's fresh in their experience, and nurture deep, loving connection in our relationship with them.

However, so much of the potential to do that lies in our capacity to honor and speak our noes peacefully and with love in our hearts. And that capacity becomes available when we do the inner work of freeing ourselves from the harshness we've internalized and healing what was hurt in relationship to communicating and receiving a no.

This workshop is a first step in that direction.