parents

leverage your family’s values to convert adverse behaviors into lessons for growth and development

We enter parenting with grand plans for the amazing future human(s) we will contribute to the world: our own unique blend of nurturing, empowerment and wise guidance will naturally one day disprove our detractors, and our future high achiever will not let a single speaking engagement pass without letting the rest of the world know it too. The president will probably call. Or tweet, whatever. But within a few short years something goes terribly wrong, and we find ourselves increasingly at odds with our intentions, our partners, and this little…person…that keeps saying “no”. Family life begins to feel defeating and grey, an exercise in mindless execution. How did we get here?

“a year full of extreme self development and change”

We all want more peace in our homes, and less conflict. We want for our interactions with our children to involve more teaching, and less nagging. More space for creativity and play, and less rigid, overscheduled routine. We want more sex, more books, more sleep, and…oh yeah…we actually do want to have fun with our kids. But life gets busy, and our genuine commitment to being nurturing, empowering, and wise parents gets increasingly distorted by the unending pressures of raising children publicly.

All of our work at OUTLIER begins with a return to the values and ideals you want most for your children, and for yourself. We use those values and ideals as the guideposts for parenting, and we identify and clearly name the influences that are preventing them from informing our daily interactions with our children. We develop new goals, rhythms, and even new language for these interactions, to pave the way for intentional parenting. Along the way our children’s negative behaviors become true opportunities for fundamental, lasting growth, and the family begins to thrive.

“a huge change in my approach and reactions to tough situations”

Perhaps your family is already doing just fine today, but you’re dissatisfied with the environment you are raising your children in. You may be contemplating a change of scenery, a change of career, a big move to another state or country, and you’re ready to draft a comprehensive plan for more intentional living as a family. Maybe, you’re beginning to notice minor cracks in the otherwise shiny veneer of your relationship with your child. Perhaps those cracks have grown into gaping holes and you’re feeling defeated and under-resourced as a parent. It may even be that you have found yourself in outright, daily conflict with your child and feel it’s time for a compassionate, thoughtful intervention. Or maybe, you just have some questions on a specific parenting or developmental topic. It is never too late to course-correct. Consultations are always free, and I’d love to hear from you.

how can I help?