Some years ago, I was moved by this short video, showing a young child’s reaction to her mother’s flat affect, or blank unresponsive face. Isn’t it amazing to see how quickly the child started acting differently, during this short experiment? It is astonishing to realize that much of the “acting out” our kids do, is a reaction to the pain of disconnection from us!

See what you think.

What could cause this disconnection to happen in real life?

Attending to a phone? 150 times a day? (Heaven help us all!)

Being consumed with other pursuits?

Comparing our talents to others and feeling that we come up short? Depressing!

For me when my kids were little, distraction came from being in my own head trying to sort out my problems, running from difficult conversations or people, succumbing to a victim mentality, and exhaustion and pain, from trying to earn value or prove my worth.

Thank heaven kids are resilient and God is good. We truly can learn from our mistakes, even while we are healing.

We can see ourselves more clearly, strengthen our connection to God, take responsibility for our decisions, set aside distractions, embrace the time we have with our kids, and bless them with the great anti-drug, connection and belonging!

This is why I wrote the little ebook, From Exhausted to Empowered, 5 Steps to Move Your Family Forward, because it sums up what I have learned (and still continue to learn and practice), in order to be my healthy and happy self; the version of me who is emotionally healthy and awake enough to connect with my family in a meaningful way.

Please check out the book link below if a little more clarity would be helpful.

God bless you today. You are making progress and there is joy to be had in the ever-living present!

P.S. If you sense that you are disconnected to the point of self-harm or of not feeling in control of your behavior toward your kids or spouse, please reach out to someone you trust and ask for help. There is great hope on the other side of being seen and heard and cared for while walking the faithful healing path forward.