Parenting in the Real World – Living by the Cliche

by Shelly Carriere

OK here we go! We have our first days of school under our belt and I am trying to embrace all the “new” that happens each year when school begins. New feelings of excitement and fear, new friendships and new events. This year my focus has been a new outlook on my role in the family and new adventures for me.

I am learning to embrace what “taking care of ME” really means. I have had some enlightening experiences in the last while – to say the least. I have discovered new feelings, emotions and healing.

This discovery came while writing an introduction about myself. I was getting ready to speak to a room full of women in an informal setting. Some were friends some family and some people I was excited to meet for the first time. I sat down to write and I simply wrote on paper what I do.

The list was long and fearless. It included my role in my home based business, my creativity as a columnist, my empowering therapist side, my dynamic mothering world which includes a glorious role as a proud wife. It also included my works in progress as a facilitator and healer.

Event Centre funding

City may hire lobbyist for event centre money

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International honours

Raiders' Kubiesa to represent Czechia at IIHF U18 Men's World Championship

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Learn the signs

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20h ago

I discovered through this simple task that it is time to own who I am and use it and that the cliché saying “you can’t give to others unless you give to yourself” is so painfully and evidently true. With this breakthrough came ownership and commitment.

It is time to make a commitment to ME. I cant even begin to share how much my world and relationships have changed in such a short time. Renewed life has been infused into my world.

All too often in our lives we get swallowed up by jobs, to do lists and other peoples demands on us and we forget who we are and who God created us to be.

Well I am here to say unless we take hold of who we are as women and mothers, life will chew us up and spit us out feeling worn tired and unfulfilled. We have the ability to create empowering experiences through the busyness but it has to start with a belief in ourselves and our own ability to create positive change. Letting go of the past is essential and embracing today is fundamental to truly taking care of us.

I pray that women will take on new passions and desires of their hearts and live the cliché. I truly believe that self-care is the only way to teach our children how to be strong leaders in this world who make healthy choices for themselves.

I also recently accepted that living this way takes a lot of work on my part to keep myself in check. But the day that I accepted that it was the strong and gifted who have to keep working on themselves not the weak; it was easier to push through the fear.

I encourage you to live courageously and work extra hard for “YOU” this week starting with the simplicity of today. Write down what you do and if the list is unimpressive to you create a list that makes you shine. Good Luck.