February 15, 2025

Quote of the Week

"There is no way to be a perfect parent, but a million ways to be a good one." - Jill Churchill

Sudha Murthy's 8 New-Age, Inspiring Parenting Lessons

"What do you imagine when you think of being a parent? I picture heaps of laundry, battles fought for a simple diaper change, toys strewn all over, and a noisy and dirty house. But flip that coin if you must, and you’ll find the best and most nurturing aspect of parenthood — teaching your children how to behave, encouraging them to hone their skills, being there for them, and celebrating their little joys. How satisfying is that?

While the former might be unavoidable, the latter requires effort and patience. For new parents, this does not always happen organically.

So we look to people who have been in this game for years. Educator, author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy often talks extensively about finding the best ways to navigate parenthood. Here are some lessons we learned on parenting from her:" [read more]

Reading Corner

Title: Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids
By: Hunter Clarke-Fields MSAE
For: Parents

"This book should be called "How to be a Good Human". There is so much good stuff here that is unlike most parenting books that I've seen out there. (Although through Hunter's work, I am beginning to discover more like-minded practitioners who support this type of thinking, parenting, and living.) This book is not a "how to" guide in the sense that you can find quick fixes when every new little thing pops up. It's more of a mind shift. It's helped me to think about my behaviors and those of my children in new ways. (But mostly my behaviors!) If you're interested in this book, you have to be willing to dig deep and be open, honest, and vulnerable. Although I am a parent of 4 year old triplets, and the timing of this book feels perfect for what's happening in our house right now - I can see so clearly how this way of living, thinking, and parenting will help our family throughout the years. I'll be rereading this book many times over the years, I am sure. Thank you, Hunter, for sharing your work, your struggles, and your triumphs with us, so that we can be the humans that we want to be, for ourselves and our little humans." Goodreads Reviewer

Be the Change

As parents, when we recognize and take ownership of our part to play in the discomfort, the discord and the frustration in family life, we can find ways to change our mindset or actions and, as a result, move forward towards alleviating some of the negativity. Check out this article to reflect on five questions that are useful to spend some time thinking about, if you are working on examining your role in challenges at home.