The swallows are back

...and that means that it is spring. Each year, the swallows return to our house, chirping and swirling through the air - dive bombing the lawn mower and driving my cats crazy. They turn up sometime each March and it tells me that spring is just around the corner. We have numerous swallow houses nailed up to the house and barn which the wee birdies use for their nests. There is one right outside my bedroom window and it is not unusual to be awakened with the sunrise and the demanding voices of babies waiting to be fed.

So, besides the swallows - I did something today that I'm not quite sure how it will resolve itself. I signed up for one of the meeting rooms at my local library to host a free parenting discussion group. I don't know if the library will grant my room request - but it felt kind of odd doing this. Why odd? Well, because I have no idea what this two hour window of time might look like. It is a bit risky putting myself out into the community as a facilitator (from a personal growth standpoint) and I want to do this. Somewhere inside of me, I'm hearing this lovely voice saying - 'why not?' And when I stay in my curiosity, when I look at a possibility as a chance to try something on without being attached to the outcome - I feel energized.

The date is April 20th - a Sunday afternoon (2pm-3:30) to have a discussion on issues that face parents of young adolescents. I want to focus on the parents - their experiences, their 'stuckness' and their successes. How do they balance and make sense of their children's growing autonomy? How do they handle the fear and anxiety that governs so much of raising children today? Are they helicopter parents or are they okay sitting back and helping their children find their own motivations? How does their own history show up in their parenting? Do they want a better life for their children then what they had? Do they nurture not only their children but themselves as well? A friend of mine and I coined this as "Conscious parenting" - being wide awake and human while managing the role of parent in American society.

So that's what I've been thinking, reading and writing about. I want to get a pulse on my community and see what's up and where I might be able to lead future workshops that would most interest this community. I keep coming back to the reality that while I enjoyed seeing kids in therapy - when the parents came in and began to process their own awareness, perceptions and needs - the family really started building health. I know that isn't always true or possible - but I do know that for me it was really easy to ignore my Self and take on the role of parent as prescribed by my community's values and norms. And some of those norms are really scary.

The best part about this is that I have my experience and I can't wait to inquire into other people's experiences and see what is happening out there. It is a cliche - but true: I feel the excitement in holding the 'both/and'.