My daughter, much like myself, loves to find ways to use leftovers and scraps. Her imagination and creativity makes me smile! Last year after we dyed eggs, we decided to tie dye some old tea towels. It was so much fun and super simple. After dyeing we soaked in vinegar, water and salt and hung to dry. Some of the color was lost in the wash, but most remained.
This year we made paint and froze some dye to go ice cube “fishing” with tongs!
Paint-Dye, flour and stir! You can add cooking oil to change the paint texture.
The ABC mold are from Amazon.
Do you have any fun ways to reuse dye? Would love for you to share!
The spirited child or more commonly referred to as the difficult child, is beautiful, if you don't let the world tell you otherwise. In all my years of teaching, the "difficult" children taught me more than I ever taught them. They have a fire inside, my job was to help them find where their flames were needed and to guide them when they were lost. You see, they didn't need me to build their fire or stoke it to keep it going. These children are passionate and simply need our love and understanding.
Conversely, instilling this fire in others was so much harder and often meant I was constantly working to keep the flames alive. Both of these children are beautiful and unique, but for this post I want to highlight the spirited child in a positive light.
As a teacher, I loved both roles, but the spirited child holds a special place in my heart. If you are a parent of a spirited child be ready to advocate for them. Be ready to step out of your parenting comfort zone. You will be exhausted. You'll be their biggest cheerleader and at times their only cheerleader. You'll explain over and over your child's good intentions to those that only see the negative. You'll question every parenting decision you have made and then see that all along you were exactly what your child needed.
Spirited children seek what they love and want with an intensity that can be felt. Felt by the exhausted parent that has given themselves a timeout to breathe several times before lunch has been served. I get it, I truly do. Parenting a spirited child is no easy task, but I promise it's worth it. I have watched my spirited kindergarten students become high schoolers and lead the way. Taking time to focus on all the positives, will allow your mind time to breathe and know that all will be fine.
Some ideas to support your little one:
My number one is LISTEN. With these little ones it's easy to become frustrated. Instead listen and ask why. “Oh you don’t want to brush your hair today, why?” You might be suprise by their response. My daughter will usually say, I just need time to think about it, then we can brush. We move on and in minutes all good and we are brushing hair.
Make time for them to be fully passionate about whatever holds their interest.
Be ready to just hold your child and breathe or when they push you away, be ready to just sit and do something that slows their flames. For us this is parallel play with very little talking, reading a story while on my lap or near and tactile art. Getting outside is also huge for us, but sometimes that is a battle when things are intense. Holding space!
Don't remind your spirited little of what they didn't do or did wrong. Talk about it and move on. These little ones do better with concise information and then moving forward.
Avoid power struggles by sticking to a routine and set rules. “After we eat breakfast we always brush our teeth that's the rule,” or “We can build with blocks after you clean up your other stuff, that’s the rule.”
Give choices allow them to wear rain boots with a tutu and snow gloves. Their need to express themselves is strong. Don't squash this, unless they are in danger. Explain and show that they have 5 more min left and give reminders as they time passes.
Give them room to experiment and explore. They rarely like the step by step activity and would prefer to create their own way.
Through their lens! They are emotionally aware. If you forgot to do something you promised they will let you know. Usually because they relate it to the standards you hold them to. They do not understand why it's alright for you to forget, but not for them.
Discipline through connection (everyone longs to be loved) and building a relationship that is safe. Forcing a strong willed little one (or any child) to do anything is only going to lead to more tears and drawn out frustration. Trying to teach a lesson when in meltdown mode, is going to get everyone nowhere. Take a breath, connect, love and move forward. More often than not your child will come around.
Love, love love and hold space! It always wins.
Would love to hear ways you have found to support your little one, spirited or not!
A recipe with a story. This banana bread is so yummy! It's perfected for high altitude baking, so you may have to adjust! I craved this and kale with my daughter. Kale by the bags, not even kidding. What did you crave?
My journey to gluten free began a long time ago. I had been diagnosed with PCOS, severe endometriosis and had "Hormones like a woman going through menopause," according to multiple women's doctors ( several women's health "specialists"). I was given a list of things I needed to take and have done. I was 12 the first time I was told that birth control would be the only way to regulate the heavy and never ending cycle I had. Fast forward a few years, nothing had changed except my Dr. and a new option was given. GnRH, basically a medicine that sends the body into a menopausal state until the medicine is stopped. The side effects were long and this option didn't sit well. Option 2 from this doctor, let's try laparoscopy. "We will go in cauterize what we can and see if that helps." And so my journey with laparoscopic surgery began. Unfortunately this method wasn't long lasting. A month, maybe 2 without excruciating pain and crazy bleeding and then back to life as it was before. Welcome doctors 3, 4, 5…Over and over I heard the same thing, "We can try this pill, this shot, this procedure, high dose pain meds… and then, "A hysterectomy is probably the answer to your condition. Without it, you will have to learn to deal with the pain, the non stop bleeding, the dizziness, but that's your choice." My choice? I remember feeling sad, angry, confused and everything in between. I had been told since I was 12 that I may never carry my own child and now the reality of that was being placed in my hands as a "cure" and a "choice."
My choice ended up going against Western Medicine. The world of chiropractic care, Chinese medicine, naturopaths, less toxic lifestyle including all things put in near and on my body, Young Living supplements and essential oils, meditation and manifestation, diving back into my bible.... I knew there was another way, there had to be. My intuition had yet to let me down and I am thankful I followed it.
And on this day for years ago, it all started. My body shifted and was preparing itself.
*Recipe below in image
Empaths are connected to the world in a beautiful, yet misunderstood way. My journey as an empathic person has not always been easy, but I now know, my path had a purpose.
Acutely aware and highly sensitive, her five senses are always on fire. Loud noises, bright lights, new people, and anything outside of mama's arms, was not welcome for quite some time and we still have moments. If I wasn't a teacher and empathic person myself, I might have believed what others were saying about my child. I knew better though, I knew that she was born full of empathy.
Unfortunately, empathic children are often misunderstood and labeled in many ways. Antisocial, shy, overly sensitive, anxious...sadly the inaccurate list goes on and on. My words, this post, will hopefully help others that have an empathic child or work with children that are empathic.
When you have an empathic child, some will judge and miss the beauty in what they have to offer. For my little one, what is often missed is how deep in thought she is, how her body is taking in the emotions of those around her and trying to process it all. How she is a toddler, but experiences the world in a very mature manner. Her quiet nature is not because she is anti social, it's because she's in tune with what many miss. She feels the hurt or happiness of those she is near. She feels your desire to have to respond to you, but she needs time. Her intuitive comments about those around her were once surprising, but are now a gift and something that I look forward to. She feels safest when she is with those she knows and not in a crowd. Crowds have lots of energy and it's absorb by empathetic people. She feels things deeply and taking time to respect her strong emotions is all she needs to find her balance. Her ability to listen, understand and truly get to know someone is beyond her age and while it's a blessing, it can also lead to worry as she questions what she knows and carries it with her. While she is a lover of books, anything scary (the bees in Winnie the Pooh 😊) makes her tremble and she has pages memorized so we can skip them. It seems simple, but it's not. Our days aren't always easy, like everyone else, we have struggles. Her pull to all things nature can be felt; it's an energy that radiates from her. She observes, watches and has a deep love for animals. When an animal doesn't want anything to do with her, she doesn't understand and battles this internally and ask me "Why mama?" Over and over. We "rescue" all the stuffed animals we can and I have to laugh because I swore I would not have a stuffed animal collection in my house...
The hardest thing for me as a mom has been how aware she is, not only aware of everything, but aware of how she is different. She knows she isn't like some of her friends, she tells me. We talk about being unique and how that's beautiful, but I worry that this consumes her when we play with other children. This is where I find myself feeling overwhelmed at times. Finding ways to support her as a parent has been key. Knowing my child and not letting the judgement of others push me to do things I know aren't right for her is everything! I know now that a day filled with too much, is too much. A day with no true mental break, will end in a rough night. Too many days out with friends will mentally exhaust her. I have learned when to push and when to protect.
If you're parenting or teaching an empathic child don't try to fit in with the crowd. Multiple playdates a week, is going to lead to lots of struggle. Constant crowds and little exposure to nature will leave your child feeling heavy. Sleep... That's been a learning curve. Empathic children often need time to free all that they have stored before they are able to rest.
Knowing your child's unique triggers and responding instead of reacting, will save you both. An empathic child needs to know that their emotions are safe. Saying "Stop crying, stop screaming or your reaction isn't necessary..." is only going to escalate the situation. This applies to all children, but it's even more important to avoid these words with a empathic child. Let them know they are safe. And for those supporting their child, remember to breathe and embrace your child for who they are, not what others think they should be.
Learning to see through the eyes of an empathic child, is not easy, but it's beautiful and makes sense once your eyes are adjusted. Hugs to all those raising children full of empathy!
