Features:
1. Conscious parenting social content 2. Tools of the Trade: Dr. Becky’s “DFK workshops” (for “Deeply Feeling Kids”) 3. PBS affiliate The Lakeshore talks turkey! +BONUS: #KidsFreezeDance giveaway
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I saw a hilarious meme this week. It may be passé for you, but it was novel for me & really touched a nerve (or at least my funny bone):
They say it takes a village. Do they just show up? Is there a hotline you call? 😆😆😆
I definitely felt that way in my kiddos’ younger years. More accurately, after decades being solely the babysitter or auntie, I’d find myself as a newer mother wondering, “When is this baby/toddler’s mother coming to pick him up??”
In my decade mothering (so far), I’ve been blessed to find my tribe. And it turns out, it’s made up of a lot of little tribes: homeschoolers, church friends, neighbors, Scouting families, baseball fams, cat lovers, community volunteers & other people whose kiddos love the same myriad hobbies as ours.
The most important group of parents I’ve connected with——again, in overlapping circles——is generational cycle-breakers. I’m blessed to now count my own parents in this group (though, of course, they’ve been doing this in their own ways my whole life).
In which villages does your tribe dwell?
Instagram’s @mrchazz (aka cycle-breaking teacher Chazz Lewis) has joined a great group of educators/content creators aligning their purpose under The Conscious Parenting Collective. This group is creating the online village for BIPOC families to end any illusions that conscious parenting is only for some & not for all. Head down the rabbit hole for limitless resources!
Do you have a DFK (“Deeply Feeling Kid”)?
Dr. Becky Kennedy, author of the book Good Inside & host of the Good Inside Community (an online tribe I’ve been grateful to invest in this year), talks a lot about what she calls DFKs. It’s sort of a catch-all for neurodivergence, or what Mary Sheedy Kurcinka dubbed the Spirited Child. (Ummm, I may still be a member of a certain Facebook group for support while “Raising Your Spirited Child.”) But it’s also more than that.
Next week, Dr. Becky will host an intro workshop explaining great ways to bridge these DFK kids when “typical parenting strategies” only seem to make things worse.
Bonus: The GI Community Library has some great, informative articles right now all about that extended family cycle-breaking. Here’s a sample of titles:
How to Cultivate Gratitude
A Strategy for When Extended Family Triggers You
When Your Extended Family Disagrees with a Decision
How to Talk about Gratitude with Kids
Build your village early & often: Community means kids, too!
Here’s a holiday tradition that teaches skills, connects people to people & honors seasonal rituals: The Lakeshore Media, the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland PBS & NPR affiliate, is conducting a Turkey Call (gobble, gobble!) community contest. When children follow the instructions to trace their hands & draw their turkeys PLUS send them in via U.S. Mail to learn more about the postal service, winners will be honored! Share submissions on social media, too, using the hashtag #learnwithlakeshore.
Bonus: Educator content contest
Fourth grade teacher & pro drummer Jay on the Drums of Kids Freeze Dance is conducting a contest of his own. The prize is access to $100 of video content for the classroom! Use the link for more info.