They’re watching and learning.

Do you need a permission slip?

I remember when my firstborn was just a few months old, a dear aunt said to me, “She has nothing else to do but observe you and learn from you.”

That comment has stayed with me ever since. And perhaps it’s a good reminder for all of us. For all parents out there — our children are watching and learning. We’d love to think they listen and take on board what we say, but what we do often has a far greater and longer-lasting impact.

Learning to treat their body with care and kindness
Learning how to regulate themselves in healthy ways during times of stress or crisis
Learning what healthy relationships feel and look like
Learning to find joy in equal measure to hard work
Learning to follow their dreams

Perhaps when we’re uncertain on how to handle a situation, we could ask ourselves what we would wish our children would do if they were in our shoes.

Chances are, they will give themselves permission to self-care, to rest, to take risks, to feel joy, or to dream — to roughly the same extent that it was modelled to them.

So, if you feel you need it, perhaps give yourself a permission slip from time to time — to fully feel the joy of a moment, the pride of an accomplishment, or to push yourself to pursue that dream that has been in your bucket list a little too long already.

 After all, your children’s future depends on it.