Self-care for a parent is critical! It takes so much energy and grit to lead doesn’t it?

We need to give ourselves every possible advantage in part because of the fact that being a family leader means learning how to deal with disappointment.

We all know that in families, things can get complicated, frustrating and downright difficult!

But because they can be difficult at times, does it mean we abandon our dream of a fully functioning family?

Do we allow ourselves to become discouraged when the activity we planned goes south or the cake falls or the fun ends with a quarrel or when others don’t seem interested in our vision of a goal setting conversation or in pitching in to help when all hands are needed on deck?

{Yes, yes sometimes we do, only to look back later and see the waste of time it was!}

There is a mental toughness required, to keep moving forward even when things seem to be falling apart. And developing that toughness comes with practice and time!

The ability to keep your faith alive, even when others are allowing themselves to be discouraged and doubting that your family’s evolution is possible.

So, maybe the greatest way we can lead is to cultivate our faith. {And that is an act of self-care.}

Faith in God, in each other, in our ability to grow together.

The evolution of a family is often imperceptible. Sometimes, in fact most often, you don’t recognize the ways that you are becoming a strong unit until you hit a milestone of some kind and look back at where you’ve been and realize how far you’ve come!

So, don’t quit. Keep taking care of yourself. Keep building your reserves. Keep believing and lead out by pushing the restart button every time things get tough!

Building a family takes time.

And I’ll bet you are further along than you know.

Be well!

Love,