At the end of this course you will…

• Understand how your own triggers might be showing up and what you can do about it.

• Have clear examples of how to support yourself and your child through challenges.

• Connect and share experiences with fellow parents who have a shared vision of parenting conscientiously with respect for their children.

• Gain greater confidence in using curiosity and empathy to connect with your child, especially through the hard moments.
  

We built this workshop because we believe that intergenerational healing happens when we can regulate our own emotions…

…and therefore support our children in authentic, affirming ways. Cara and Katie have seen firsthand with our clients how learning to support yourself emotionally can instantly translate to being a calm and resourced parent. At the same time, we see how embodying respect for your child allows you to also relate to yourself with more ease and compassion.

This course offers a place where you can learn and practice both — supporting your own and your children’s emotions.

And we know this is really hard! Although we rarely talk about it publicly, parenting can bring up a sense of inadequacy or feeling like something is wrong with us. Depending on the person, it can feel like we’re too…

• Perfectionistic — “I can’t enjoy myself or relax into being a parent because I always feel like I should be doing better”

• Easy-going — “when things get hard, I back off and let my kids have their way”

• Angry — “as much as I try, my anger still spills out and then I regret it”

• High strung — “I wish I could let them do more for themselves, but I find myself jumping in”

• Bad at boundaries — “I just don’t know how to set boundaries in a way that’s not harsh and not permissive”

No matter what our particular concern is, that self-criticism can actually make it harder to find a path forward. Especially during the times when it translates into feeling like something is wrong with our child.

We’re here to tell you nothing is wrong with your child. And nothing is wrong with you. Period. It’s that no one taught you how to relate to your feelings in a healthy way. In fact, for most adults, what we’ve been taught about feelings has been hurtful and counterproductive.

So we’d like to ask… instead of judging yourself, what if…

• You started practicing responding to your own feelings (even the unwieldy ones) with compassion and understanding?

• What if you started learning to relate to yourself with the same respect, consciousness, gentleness and responsiveness that you are trying to offer your child?

• And what if you didn’t have to do it alone? What if someone could teach you how to do this?

• What if you had facilitators and like-minded parents who could help troubleshoot the day-to-day challenges that come up for yourself and your child?

We’re offering a 6 week group program to do just that. Here’s what you can expect…

• Online weekly 90 minute group calls Thursdays at 6:00pm PST starting July 13th.

  • The first 60 minutes will include a combination of information, exercises, time for reflection and sharing. The last 30 minutes will be reserved for optional Q&A.

• Calls will be recorded and shared with participants only.

• Exercises/homework that is intended for you to work into your everyday parenting so you can practice the principles between sessions.

• Guidance on how to respond to your young child (0-5 years) based on their particular developmental stage.

This course costs $250

You will be receiving support from two professionals — Cara who has focused on adult learning and development for the past seven years, and has been certified by New Ventures West as an Integral Coach and has completed levels one and two of Aletheia advanced coaching training. Katie holds a master's degree in Maternal and Child Nutrition and Lactation from the University of California, Davis as well as an international certification in lactation consulting (IBCLC). Katie has also been guiding parents and families through the early years of childhood for the nearly a decade.

This course is for you if…

You love the ideas of conscious/respectful parenting, but I feel like you’ve been thrown in the deep end. You might…

• Experience a ton of pressure to get this parenting thing right, but feel like you’re coming up short.

• Worry that your emotions are negatively impacting your child and your relationship with them.

• Are clear that you want to parent in a gentle/respectful/conscious way.

• This choice is a departure from how you were raised.

• You feel uncomfortable with controlling parenting tactics (even if that’s what you end up doing sometimes). Things like telling kids how to feel/not feel (“it’s okay, it’s not scary” or “aren’t you happy to see grandma”), timeouts, using rewards and punishments, or using labels (“you’re so selfish”).

• Your child is 0-5 years old.

Meanwhile, you’re finding it extra hard when…

• Your child has tantrums (especially in public).

• They are super resistant to boundaries. They melt down or they are even more passionate about doing that thing once you set the boundary.

• You see them being aggressive (grabbing, hitting, biting, etc).

This course is not for you if…

• You don’t feel like your emotions are affecting your child.

• You’re looking for parenting tactics that will quickly change your child’s behavior.

• You are just trying to get through “this phase of parenting” so you can get to the fun times.

• You believe that this is just the way it is (e.g. “this is just how it is, kids are adaptable”).

Why now?

Cara is expecting her second child in September. That makes this the last group offering she will be leading until mid-2024. It is also the first offering that Katie and Cara are doing together, giving you the benefit of expertise in both adult development (that’s you as the parent) and child development. We’re not sure if we’ll offer this again, but are committed to supporting as many families as we can with this window of opportunity we have now.

Questions?

If you still have questions about the course or if it would be a good fit for you, Cara is available for a 15 minute call to discuss. You can reach out to her at cara.oshell@gmail.com.