This is how I have been feeling lately about my parenting.
To be clear, I have a great kid - and I am very aware of how lucky I am in terms of my life. I have a partner of 11 years, a house in Berkeley, two cats, a built-in support system with my mom living upstairs. We have a safe place to live, enough food to eat, and right now, everyone is healthy. Lily, my daughter, is in second grade and can read, write, and do math. My job is flexible enough where I get to volunteer at her school, take her to swim lessons, and occupy my mind with other things sometimes too. It's a good life.
Last night, however, I had a dream. Actually, I am not sure I was fully asleep, because I had woken up in the middle of the night and was trying to go back to sleep. In the dark, laying there, I dreamt up this idea. The Worry Spot.
I have been reading the book, "Freeing Your Child From Negative Thinking" , and in that book there is a strategy of putting your child's worries into a box - a place where they can look at them later if needed, but a place to keep them secure - a place to store them away so the child can be free of them. I thought of having such a box, for me. A place where I could put my worries about parenting to look at later, but to get them out of the deep recesses of my mind and maybe gather a little freedom. A little peace of mind.
Then I thought, maybe other people worry like this - about their children and their families. Maybe they would like a worry box too. Or a place for other people to find common ground and share their fears with one another - or their strategies, the way they have found freedom from their worries. Or found help for their child.
So here it is.
What are you worried about? What do you want for your child? What do you want for your family? What are concerned about in your child's education? His friendships? Her attitude? What do you need help with? Tell us. Let's put it into our collective worry box. There's enough room in here for everyone.
