Between the yelling, the threats, the negotiations, and the bribes of the last 8 years, I’m pretty sure I’m the worst parent in the history of mankind.

Who let this woman become a mother?

And yet my daughters snuggle up to me nightly, yearning for my acceptance and love. It’s still far off, their realization that they don’t need either of those things to have a happy life. I cling to their ignorance because I do need their acceptance and love. They set my sun and hang my moon.

Parenting takes everything you have (and then some) and rewards you inconsistently with unexpected gold:

• The sweet, unsolicited kisses from my two-year-old
• The spot-on comedic timing and beautiful smile of my preschooler
• My 3rd grader very seriously asking the question, “Is it hard to be a mommy?“
• The unprompted words “I love you” sprinkled throughout the day

Occasionally, at naptime or when goofing off on our king size bed before calling it a day, I am struck with the thought of how intensely intimate child rearing is. It’s beyond knowing the smell of their skin and breath, and them knowing mine.  My desire for personal space has gone the way of the rotary phone.  I’m jumped on, sat on, snuggled with, and used as a vehicle to get from point A to point B.  It doesn’t seem to matter where I am or what I’m doing either.  Ever read the book I Just Want to Pee Alone?  (I highly recommend it!)

The emotional intimacy we share includes seeing the mirror image of myself in them with all of my blemishes magnified. How can I deny my oldest a temper that she comes by honestly, or the preschooler her stubbornness, or the baby her clinginess?  It’s amazingly gratifying and exhausting at the same time, to be connected so intimately with other human beings who drive me mad for exhibiting the exact same traits I carry inside daily.

Can I get an ‘amen’?

And as a children’s yoga teacher, I’ve come to recognize that the introduction of yoga to a child and his/her family offers us a unique tangency.  We get to touch another family, and their special ‘traits’, in a way that is also intimate, positive and edifying.  Temper? Schmemper!  Let’s learn how to breathe.  Anxiety? Schmeity! Stand like a mountain, and roar like a lion.  You don’t want to play today?  How about some laughter yoga?

What a gift we get to give.  And dare I say, receive?  Could it be possible that in working with other families and children, we take a small prize back to our own families?   Ahhh, the hum of the universe.  ‘Om’…

Listen to the Mindful Conversations with KAY podcast about relations skills in the CASEL framework: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/Cip9SzpJQub

Learn more about building relationships with these KAY blogs:
Building Relationships Through Yoga Stories: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/yoga-stories-relationships-creativity/

Building Friendships through Yoga: https://kiddingaroundyoga.com/yoga-friends-community-health-kids/

Like what you read here? There’s so much MORE to explore and learn with Kidding Around Yoga. Check out our website for our live and online teacher trainings, Yoga Alliance-approved 95-hour RCYT trainings, specialty online courses, original music, merchandise, podcast, and beyond! KAY even offers a 6-hour workshop designed to teach school educators and homeschool families how to bring yoga and meditation right into their classrooms (EduKAY) and an online course specifically for families to incorporate these practices in their family’s routine (Mindful Parenting)