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Episode 12: Perspectives on Self-care – For Our Children, For Ourselves
What is self-care anyway? In this episode we discuss the different things it means to different people, how we consider it during busy parenting seasons and, woven into the conversation, what does our children’s self-care look like? How do we support it? We were thrilled to have Alice Griffin of Wandering Alice join us again, as she has supported many people in their self-care journeys and brings a beautiful, peaceful perspective. Alice’s writing, courses and offerings can be found at http://www.alicegriffin.co.uk/. She is on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Why not join us for a gentle, refreshing hour + of conversation about the joy of taking care of ourselves, even in the midst of busy family life?
We Discuss:
What self-care looks and feels like
The rising popularity of the term self-care in home education. What does it mean? How do we feel about it?
Filling our cup so that we can fill the cups of others
Changing family rhythms over time … eg. reframing nap times as quiet times and maintaining the idea of available rest time for anyone, adults included
‘Sites of mutual fulfillment’ – finding those places where both parent and child can enjoy themselves and relax
The ideas of things like read-alouds and cloud-gazing as a reset and communicating openly with our children that we all might need to rest and regroup sometimes – collective self-care
How sometimes it’s actually connection with our family that we need rather than alone time or a break
That connection doesn’t have to be presence – it can be an offer of presence
Finding a special piece for ourselves to enjoy in something that we aren’t looking forward to or that wasn’t our choice to do
The role of gratitude and appreciation
Reframing household and practical tasks from a perspective of gratitude, such as imagining the person whose piece of clothing we are folding and how much we love them
Moving away from the idea of efficiency at all times – allowing ourselves to enjoy things even if they slow us down or aren’t entirely necessary (lingering during a decluttering task to enjoy nostalgic things we come across)
Deschooling as an act of self-care
Loving our children as we would have liked to have been loved – the healing power of parenting
Our children and their own self-care
Recognizing inherent triggers and challenges – the more we are a safe place for our children, the more they will bring to us and we can love and feel grateful for that
How children are often really good at meeting their owns needs
Being intentional and mindful of who and what we surround ourselves with
People needing permission and invitation to step back and come back into themselves (permission to care for themselves)
How physical illness, crisis and external events are often the only way for people to have a socially acceptable rest
That kids taking time and space for themselves to pay attention to their needs can actually lead to compassion rather than lack of consideration for others
Resources Mentioned or Recommended:
http://www.alicegriffin.co.uk/
https://alice-griffin-s-school.teachable.com/
https://youtube.com/@wanderingalice
https://lulastic.co.uk/parenting/sites-mutual-fulfillment/