So many parents come to me worried that they are not helping their child heal. They comment on not knowing what to do or say in those difficult moments. Actually, many believe they are making things worse. They want me to help them do it differently.
Here's my answer...it takes an Action Plan. Having an action plan allows us to be ready to respond to the challenges. We can be proactive rather than reactive. By becoming proactive, you will be more likely to say and do the most healing thing at the roughest of times. And you will be more apt to meet your child right where they are at - and that's where healing happens. When there's a go-to plan, everyone feels more successful. Everyone IS more SUCCESSFUL. You find clarity about what to do next. You will also experience a lot less stress and find that your energy and zest for life increases. Ultimately, having an Action Plan in place - one that includes support, tools and strategies that work and a way to measure its success - allows you to experience joy right next to the challenge. Now that's what we are all looking for, isn't it? Let me help you get your family's Action Plan in place. You will feel the shift you have been waiting for. My Coaching Group has everything you need to get your family to Happy and Healthy. Finally, know what to do and say in the moment! Join me in my Intentional Parent Coaching Group Success. Joy. Healing. That's what we're talking about! http://www.tohavehope.com/intentional-parent-coaching-group.html.
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Does the phrase "I forgot" trigger you? It can't be real, right? It happens all of the time. No one forgets that much!
Well, the TRUTH of the matter is that it is REAL! Short term memory struggles are definitely an impact of trauma and a result of high anxiety. Children who come from where our kids come from carry with them impacts of that trauma. Their Limbic Systems have been "over used" and flooded with brain chemistry that has physically impacted how their brains developed. In the moment it helps to think of that area of the brain being like Swiss Cheese. Sometimes the neurons connect, but most of the time they miss each other. There are holes now. When they miss, your child deals with challenges remembering. Short term memory and the Limbic System don't just deal with remembering the names of things or the order of things. They also help your mind and body to remember what experience or person is safe or not. In addition, they also help you remember so that you can apply what happened yesterday to today. We are talking DEFICIT NOT DEFIANCE. Not having these abilities is the source of so many triggers. Knowing that "I forgot" is real and meeting your child right where he/she is at is where healing happens. Do what you need to do to help your child be successful in these areas and you will feel the shift towards trust, self-confidence, and a more peaceful every day. P.S. Not sure how to meet your child where they are at? Join me in my Intentional Parent Coaching Group today. http://www.tohavehope.com/intentional-parent-coaching-group.html. We will get your Action Plan in place TODAY! When I was a young mom before we adopted our girls, I learned that my boys would rise to my belief in them.
Lots of my friends would complain about their babies not being able to get rid of their pacifier or be weaned off of the bottle and they were so frustrated. They were feeling the pressure from family and daycare to grow their children up. And the stress of things like difficult bedtimes or potty training had even become a strain in their marriages. They were so stressed and so were their kids. I learned early on that if I was unsure of or couldn't envision those milestones happening, they didn't. When I knew it would be fine, my boys sailed right through. We were both at the same place. Then we adopted our daughters and for a time I lost that mindset. It didn't seem to work anymore. They weren't sailing through. I began to question myself and my parenting. I even lost hope that things would get better. I just couldn't see how things would change. It began working again when I learned to meet my daughters right where THEY were at. We needed to be at the same place and I needed to make the move. I realized that they needed the chance to work through their childhood with me as their mom. They needed me to know they could do it too. When I knew, believed, & had hope...so did they. Here's the thing...if you can't see that break-through and healing is possible, you won't find it. It won't work. It IS POSSIBLE! You will "know" you can get your family to happy and healthy when you have to have the tools and strategies at your fingertips that will make the difference. Your vision is clearer when you are surrounded by people who are on the same journey. And your confidence in meeting your children right where they are at comes from the support of a mentor who has walked your path and is on the other side. The Intentional Parent Coaching Group is where I can show you how to meet your children right where they are at so that they can get to happy and healthy! http://www.tohavehope.com/intentional-parent-coaching-group.html With dedication to helping your family to Happy and Healthy, Stacy Manning The other day I was running an errand for my daughter. Picking up a piece of furniture for her, on the other side of the cities. Since I didn’t know where I was going and I didn’t have a navigator with me, it was up to me (and Siri of course).
So…I typed in the address and hit go. No map reading needed. No thinking required. Just drive while Siri gave me step by step instructions. Thank goodness for smart phones, right? If only everything in life was that easy. Imagine if someone was telling us step by step instructions for parenting. Say this. Now do this. Stop here. How easy that would be. Well…we all know that’s not how it works. But, seriously, so many parents have asked me to give them the what to do and say in the moment. That’s one of the reasons I created the Intentional Parent Coaching Group. There are classes to take and workshops to attend. Lot of information and great ideas, but so often parents need someone to tweak it for their family. For their child. Someone to help them when they get stuck or to answer their questions now that they’re putting the tools into play. There are support groups out there. On line and in person. And I’m a big believer in surrounding yourself with support. The support of those who get it because they live it. And that’s another reason I started the Intentional Parent Coaching Group. I truly believe parents need all the parts – the education with tools, a place to get a plan tweaked for your family and your questions answered, and the support that comes from those who get it. The Intentional Parent Coaching group is made up of all 3 of those parts.
Jump in now, try it for a month, and see what a BIG difference it’ll make. http://www.tohavehope.com/intentional-parent-coaching-group.html Can't wait to see you in group! Have you ever gotten to the point when you actually wondered if your child had more wrong with him then just attachment issues or trauma stuff...like, I mean really scary, sociopath stuff that will never heal?
It's not easy to admit. It's not where we want our lives to be. It's not what we want for our children. However, there can be times of such dis-regulation, sadness, confusion, and aggression that the fear of this possibility sets in for us as parents. I've talked to so many families who are dealing with the constant struggle with hard behaviors such as lying, stealing, or aggression. They also report that their children don't feel bad or never says "I'm sorry." And...it all seems to be getting bigger & bigger. They say the feel LOST and don't know what to do anymore. They're AFRAID. Afraid it'll never change. Sometimes afraid for their other children. And even afraid for themselves. I GET IT. We've been there and I never want to experience it again. I never want my children to be that hurt and scared ever again either. You are not alone. You're not doing it wrong. And most importantly, the majority of the time, your child isn't a budding sociopath. DON'T Be AFRAID. Fear breeds fear. When a human being, in this case your child, senses your fear and anxiety, it immediately raises his or hers as well. When our children are afraid or feel unsafe they fight to gain control - they're survivors. The fight is very real to them. Typically it includes harder behaviors, louder, more painful words, or just plain going away physically and or emotionally and more. It makes things worse. Fear sets in when you've exhausted everything you know. Fear blinds you when you're feeling alone. Fear feeds off of being emotionally challenged day in and day out. Fear dictates the quality of your life. Fear continues to exist as long as we let it...fear needs to be fought off! YOU CAN STOP BEING AFRAID. Here's How: You need tools that work, different tools and strategies then you know right now. If you're afraid of your child or how his future looks it's time to try something new. When we're doing it alone, it's easy to lose objectivity and clarity, which creates a perfect place for fear to flourish. Fight fear by being surrounded by other people walking your same path. By those who have made it to the other side who can say, "Oh yeah, we lived through that too and it will be okay. Here's what to do and say." The intensity of this journey can take its toll and fear creeps in the cracks. Being intentional about filling yourself up with support and health will strengthen you to fight off your fears. Your family deserves Happy and Healthy and fear can rob you of that without a fight. Having an action plan in place that is all about meeting your kiddos right where they're at is how you increase the quality of your life. The reality of the hurts, fears, sadness, missed milestones, confusion, lack of self-worth, irrational beliefs, and other hurdles your children fight each day can make life daunting. It does take specialized and intentional parenting. It does mean we have to show our children they deserve a No Matter What & For As Long As It Takes relationship...which is YOU. They do get intense and misunderstood. And they do get scary. The good news is...You CAN handle it and you don't have to be afraid! This is the kind of stuff the Intentional Parent Coaching Group was created from. The reality that we should not do this alone. The need to discover new ways to parent that meet our children right where they are at. The added strength and power that comes from being surrounded by other Parents who are fighting the same good fight. The clarity that comes with being heard and understood. I want to personally invite you to come and be a part of my Coaching Group. Your fears will fade away and all of that energy will be directed into making your healing plan work. Your family will feel the shift you have been looking for. No More Letting Fear Rule Your Family's Life! http://www.tohavehope.com/intentional-parent-coaching-group.html P.S. Unfortunately, there is a very small percentage of children who have been so hurt by their life experiences that living in a family is just too much. It is ultimately our job to keep them and the rest of our family safe (including YOURSELF). I am in no way suggesting that any family should endure physical or emotional abuse. As you may have seen from my video on my Facebook page this past weekend, I went to a concert with my daughter. Tim McGraw & Faith Hill. While I have to confess I didn’t know a lot about them, they were FANTASTIC. And wow, do they put on a good show! A definite win of a girl’s night out.
Listening to the words of Tim McGraw’s song Humble & Kind…what a great message. A great sentiment. Got me thinking about what I want for my kiddos. What I know now, after being on this journey of parenting for nearly 21 years, is I’m certain what I wish for my children. And I’m pretty sure my list today is not what my list would’ve been when I started. What I want for my children: For them to know that I will always be a soft place for them to land. For them to know and believe that they are worthy of the good in life . That they know that we are a No Matter What family…I’ll always be there for you. That they are HAPPY & HEALTHY. That’s it. Pretty simple. Pretty straightforward. I’m not worried if they get some high paying career. I’m not insisting they go to a 4 year college. I'm going for something that matters a whole lot more to me. Here’s to HAPPY & HEALTHY! With dedication to helping your family to Happy and Healthy, Stacy Manning P.S. Happy and Healthy...it's what I'm helping get other families to as well. I'd love to help you get you and your family to Happy & Healthy. Join me in my Intentional Parent Coaching Group today. http://www.tohavehope.com/intentional-parent-coaching-group.html My Adopted or Foster Child just keeps making the same hurtful choice over and over again. He just doesn't care. Sticker charts don't even work. Neither consequences or rewards motivate him. She's doing it on purpose. Sound familiar?
I hear these and more frustrations time and time again from Adoptive & Foster Parents and they all boil down to one very common impact of trauma...the inability to use Cause & Effect Thinking. Children begin to develop Cause & Effect thinking as early as eight months old. An inconsistent, chaotic, or unsafe environment gets in the way of a child getting though this developmental stage. Cause & Effect thinking allows us to make assumptions and be able to reason about things that happen around us. Like if I don't water the plant, it'll die. It also helps us understand other people's intentions and behaviors. Let me just say it this way...sticker charts don't work with our Adopted & Foster kiddos because they don't get that if I do A then B will happen. As a matter of fact, most of the time the expectation and anxiety that failing to succeed on the sticker chart creates worse behavior. And they are not making the same choice over and over again to be hurtful; it's because they don't understand that the choice they are making effects the outcome. The lack of Cause & Effect Thinking keeps our kids from accomplishing good things too. "If I don't understand how my choice = a specific outcome, then I don't understand that if I practice or for it, I can get what I want. Your child DOES Care; she just doesn't get that what she says or does has an impact on something or someone else! Did you just have a light bulb moment? Does this sound like someone you know? Knowing the Impact of Trauma, how they look on your child, and what to do about them is a GAME CHANGER for Adoptive & Foster Parents. Knowing this stuff and having tools & strategies to put in place to help your child heal is what's going to help you stay in it with your child. Really getting this will equip you to meet your child where he's at and that's WHERE THE HEALING HAPPENS! Let me teach you all about the impacts of trauma and how to put an action plan full of tools and strategies that work in place for your child! Come and be part of my Intentional Parent Coaching Group today! http://www.tohavehope.com/intentional-parent-coaching-group.html Another big impact of trauma is what I call the Swiss Cheese Effect. Check it out. Just a quick note to share something really important I have found in working with adoptive & foster families all around the globe. Creating opportunities in which your adopted or foster child can be SUCCESSFUL is key to a strong connection between he/she and YOU.
A strong connection between YOU and your child is key to (among many other things) his success in gaining the ability to REGULATE his own emotions, behaviors and thoughts. Wow! CAN YOU IMAGINE the impact that would have on your child's every day? Not to mention yours and quite honestly the overall quality of life for your whole family. I hear you asking...well, reality is I asked the same question years ago too. But how do you create those opportunities when sometimes it's so hard it seems impossible? I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that it all starts with parenting from your child's EMOTIONAL AGE. Our children CAN succeed as long as we meet them where they are at. Yes, it's different. Yes, it's counter-intuitive. YES, it works. YES, you can do it; you just need to know how. First, you need to be clear about your child's Emotional Age Range. Then you have to use tools and strategies that help you meet them at that age range. And have an action plan that is based in parenting across the board from your child's emotional age range. A connection built on meeting your child right where he is at = a shift that increases the quality of your whole families life. Your child is more successful in all of his relationships - especially the one between you and he. The scene is set for New Brain Wiring to happen and for New Core Beliefs to begin to develop. Mastery of Developmental Milestones can be gained. A much more secure connection is being formed. And that Secure Connection is where your child's ability to regulate better grows from. It all starts from meeting them where they are at...and the most successful way to do that is to Parent from their Emotional Age! SO, No More Imagining...let me help you zero in on your child's Emotional Age Range and learn to Parent from there! Your WHOLE family will feel the positive impact! In the video class Emotional Age Matters, you will get the tools to determine your child's emotional age range and then tips and strategies to parent from there, meeting your child right where he's at while still honoring his chronological age. It can be a juggle, but it IS possible. And it's what your child needs. It's a game changer! My goal is to get an action place in plan for you and your family. One that includes looking at your whole child, meeting him right where he's at, and staying in it for as long as it takes. One that begins from his EMOTIONAL AGE! Success. Increased Quality of Life. The Shift you have been waiting for! The Intentional Parent Coaching Group Take action today! JOIN US! I know how hard you’re working at helping your kiddo. Ever feel like nothing's working? This journey can be rough at times. Lonely. Exhausting. Defeating. Uncertain. I know because I was there.
Seventeen years ago we brought our girls home. Boy, we there some rocky times. But…we’ve made it to the other side. And along the way, I came up with ways to do it differently. Ways that really worked for my girls. And I want to share them with you. I want to help you. You don’t have to do it alone. You don’t have to stay miserable. You don’t have to settle. I’m reaching my hand out to YOU. Grab hold. Seriously. It can be a whole lot better. Grab my hand. Let me get you tools that really work. Grab my hand. Let me get you a plan for your child, for your family. Grab my hand. Let me hold you up when you can’t take another step. Grab my hand. Let’s do this together.Let’s get you and your family to HAPPY & HEALTHY. Join me in the Intentional Parent Coaching Group and you'll be equipped, empowered, and supported like never before. Let do this together! Join me today. http://www.tohavehope.com/intentional-parent-coaching-group.html I recently bought a new bracelet for myself. A simple yet beautiful bracelet with a powerful inscription. Just a single word. BRAVE.
It’s a reminder for me. A reminder to continue to be brave. Brave for my family. Brave for myself. And brave for all the families I mentor. When things are rough, it can be easy to feel defeated. Overwhelmed. Ready to throw in the towel. Anything but brave. BUT…when it comes to our children, we can’t stay there. We need to keep fighting for them. We need to keep doing whatever we can…finding new tools, trying different ways. We need to keep being BRAVE. Every day I interact with parent after parent after parent. And yes, sometimes they feel defeated. Worn out. Hopeless. But I have to say, they are some of the bravest people I know (even though they feel brave lots of days). They took a leap when they began this journey. They keep at it…even when it feels impossible. And they are reaching out to get help. To get support. To learn new ways. They are doing whatever they can to help their kiddos. And that’s BRAVE. Remind yourself of how BRAVE and how STRONG you are. Even on those days when you don’t feel it, you ARE brave. |
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