August 08, 2009
August 2009 Newsletter
This is the first newsletter of Parenting for Social Change. I want to thank you for subscribing and being a part of my journey. This month’s newsletter will be a bit of a blog as well as updates on new articles on the website.
"The Slippery Year"
The other day, I was driving and listening to NPR and heard Melanie Gideon talking about her new book, The Slippery Year. According to her, "...a Slippery Year is a year in which we are in the process of transformation. We've got one arm in the coat of our old life (a coat that no longer fits us--the sleeves are too short) and one arm in the coat of our new life (which doesn't fit us yet either--the sleeves are too long). A Slippery Year is a call to awaken. Change is coming for you, whether you like it or not."I feel like I have been in this slippery year for about 16 months.
Since I left my full-time career over three years ago, I was not sure what the future would hold. I knew that I wanted to find a way to bring together those things I was passionate about. I loved having children in my life and being with them as much as possible. I also loved many of things about my previous career. Most of those things had to do with the amazing growth opportunities I had while working with intergroup dialogues.
I realized as I began to strip away the veneer of my old life, that I had hidden behind a professional persona. I think the process finding myself started in earnest when Martel was born. But, because I was still in my professional role and I operated in that role so many hours a week, I wasn’t truly able to let this persona down.
Once I left that role, I began to experience tremendous change and questioning. I couldn’t hide behind the professional persona I had built for 20 years. It was just me, and I had to find out who I was. In some ways, I completely rejected who I was as in my professional persona as corrupt and compromised.
I immersed myself in parenting. Greyson was born and we were all struggling to integrate him into our lives. I loved reading all I could about parenting and beginning to formulate news ways of being with Martel and Greyson.
As I distanced myself from my old persona, I felt more comfortable going back and reflecting on those things in that old life that had been authentic and I felt passionate about. The desire to write and combine both parenting and social change was born.
What's New at
Parenting for Social Change
Of course, what’s new depends on when you joined this mailing list!
In the last couple of weeks, I have added several new articles.
If you haven’t yet read about my experience of someone saying to me “what’s the magic word?” you can read about it here.
I have also added a new page about trust. When Martel was between the ages of 2 to 5, trust was not a word that was in my vocabulary. As I learned a new parenting paradigm and changed my language, it has become an important word in my life.
A recent discussion on a list led me to finally write a piece on the pitfalls of a "standardized" education and life. I reflect on my experiences seeing young adults struggle with meeting the expectations of society and their parents.
After launching the website in late June, I was asked to write an article for the Natural Child Project. Jan Hunt’s website and articles have been an inspiration to me since Martel was born. I had the opportunity to work with Jan a few times when Martel was younger. She asked me to write an article about the spectrum of parenting approaches. I will update you when that article appears on her website.
It has been an exciting two months of launching the website and getting feedback from people. I would love to hear from you as well about your thoughts!
Teresa Graham Brett