Mothers
If you are in the United States, then you will know that today is Mother's Day. It's a day to honor mothers and all that they do for their families and their children.
Often, the first contact I have with a family comes from the mother. Is it due to the general "nurturing" aspect of a woman? Or is it due to the fact that often, the mother is the person in the family that is the "organizer"? Or, another reason? I really don't know.
If I'm speaking from my own experience, I wrote in the post titled "Isn't Everything Supposed to go Right?" about how when we first received the diagnosis for my son, I was the one that dove head-first into finding out about his disorder. I was the one that was up all hours of the night- researching and contacting people to get him started with services as quickly as I could. Not that my husband wasn't concerned, or didn't help me, but I was the leader for sure. This seems to be a common thread with many of the families I work with as well. I have dads that are present and part of the process, but generally, it's the mother guiding the process.
Anyway, today's post isn't about who is the guiding force in the family. Today's post is about honoring all those moms that are (the guiding force I mean).
Moms?
I see you.
I value you.
I understand you.
I still remember what it was like when my son first starting showing signs that he was "different". One of the first red flags for his pediatrician was that (at 15 months) he had "lost" words that he was previously speaking at one year old. He wouldn't respond to his name being called and he didn't have what's called "joint attention". Joint attention is when "one person purposefully coordinates his or her focus of attention with that of another person". For example, when a baby or toddler points to and object and looks to his caregiver to share the attention to that object. My son wasn't doing that- or maybe he started and stopped at some point. Honestly? I don't remember for sure.
I'm sure that many of the moms in the families I work with can also remember the first "signs" that their child was maybe "different" or struggled more than others of the same age. Maybe it was a friend that brought it up. Or maybe a family member mentioned something, or a doctor. It doesn't really matter because we all have to work through the feelings and process it in our own time. Often times, places like my program are the "Someplace Else" that people turn to after trying other therapies and programs- for multiple reasons. It was that way for us too. My son was a teen before I found out about Primitive Reflex Integration. But you know what? That's ok because this work can even be done with adults. If you're interested in reading about how this work helped me as an adult- read the post titled "It's not about me, but it WAS about me".
Ok, so back to the moms.
Moms? I see you. I value you. I understand you.
And moms?
Don't forget about you.
Mom's need time too. Mom's need sessions to help work through emotions and move toward goals. Mom's need an ear to talk to and an understanding person to hold space.
Don't forget about you mom. And even if I don't work currently with your child, I can still work with you. I can be the ear to talk to and the understanding person to hold space. I can help you work through emotions and move toward goals.
I was there. I still am there (in many respects).
And now? I'm turning around to help others, because that's how my story can help you with your story.
Moms?
Happy Mother's Day...
I honor you and your story.
*Are you a mom interested in booking a session with me? Mention this post when you contact me and receive your first session for 1/2 off!!