Child and Parenting Services Blog

Life as a new mother, I had a knack for giving the impression that I didn’t need help. My village lives on the other side of the globe, so it was borne out of necessity, but I wonder if it was more than that. As new (or not so new) mothers, I wonder if we feel as though we’re letting ourselves down if we show that we’re vulnerable. Are we falling short if we admit that we simply can’t do this alone?

An 7-year-old boy is playing baseball. He tries to catch a fly ball but misses. He falls hard and starts to cry. Different parents will have different responses to this child. Some may encourage the child to “shake it off” or “get in control” of the emotions. Others may ignore the feeling or distract the child. Still others may rush in and carry the child off the field for the rest of the game.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of my daughter tentatively dipping her toe into the squishy mud.

Happiness is a tricky thing. Everyone wants to be happy, right? And we want the people we care about to be happy, too.