Scientific studies have proven that the minimum number of people required to shift consciousness is the square root of 1% of a population.*  Curious about how many people that would be in our town (population 20,000), I grabbed a calculator. Go ahead, take a guess…

Only 14, the size of our bi-weekly meditation group. Wow. That’s doable and impressive. On our planet of 6 billion people, we need 8,000 people to initiate a change. And in a typical yoga class or workshop with 25 people, only 0.5 of a person is required.

On some days, my heart feels heavy with all the challenges we face. It can feel overwhelming to envision a radical shift for the planet (or even our own lives). Yet with this new information, it feels achievable. In fact, I’m even more inspired to take action from my heart when I know that with just a few friends, our larger Life Mastery Programs community, or 7,999 others we can create a quantum shift for all of us.

Last month, Jamie and I initiated The Giving Hearts Telecall with the intent of restoring, rejuvenating, and reinvigorating ourselves so that we have an abundance of energy to send out into our world. We had 6 of us on the call. Is that a meager handful or enough to make a difference? Well, one of the participants called in from Ireland, so it was truly a global call. The energy was palpable. I have no doubt it made an impact in each of our lives, as well as the world beyond us.

If you’d like to participate consciously in this global shift in consciousness, then we invite you to join us this month. Who knows, pretty soon we may have thousands of others on the line with us too.

The Giving Hearts Telecall

with Meghan McChesney Gilroy & Jamie Gilroy
Dates:  June 17th CANCELLED
Time:  8:30-9:30pm
Cost:  Donations on the Honor System
Conference Call #: 218-486-1600  Pin #: 920454
Please RSVP:  Meghan@Lifemasteryprograms.com 

Jamie and Meghan Gilroy, Master Teachers, lead these monthly teleclasses that are filled with heightened awareness and a high vibration of energy. From this space, we then direct our energy to those in need, particularly Mother Earth. 

The call is by donation and 50% of the income will be donated to non-profits that support the wellbeing of humanity and the Earth. Invite friends, give what you can, and feel the benefits of giving and receiving.

HOW TO DONATE: You can donate through PayPal or mailing a check to “Meghan Gilroy” Life MasteryPrograms, PO Box 261, Marblehead, MA 01945. 

_________________________
*From Gregg Braden’s book, The Divine Matrix, artfully explains how cutting edge science (quantum physics) and ancient spirituality both describe a force that connects everything together and gives us the power to influence how matter behaves – and reality itself – simply through the way we perceive the world around us.

Got awareness? Facing internal or external challenges? Wouldn’t you love to have THE Manual for transforming your life? Meghan McChesney Gilroy of Life Mastery Programs reveals how connecting to your heart’s desire and following a step-by-step process can dramatically impact your life and our world. Book co-written by Master Teacher Rita Rivera Fox.

The greater world has been penetrating my consciousness lately in a most visceral way.

Volcanoes in Iceland. Earthquakes in Haiti, Peru, California, China, Tibet. I can feel our Mother Earth rumbling, releasing energy and stress.

Lack of clean water in Africa. Food banks in LA.  Books needed to increase literacy in Appalachia. The demands out there are numerous. Tears fall down my cheeks as I imagine being a mother with any one of those needs.

Over the past year, like so many others, our income has decreased. While it has made a moderate impact on our lifestyle, we’ve mostly felt the contraction in our lives as a form of deflation. We lost a little faith in our power to create our dreams.

And yet when I turn on my tap, clean clear water flows out abundantly.

Our family has plenty of food to eat. Anything we can long for can usually be bought from our local Whole Foods or one of the many nearby restaurants.

Did you know that lower income communities have 1 book per 300 homes? Bodhi, our three year old, has nearly 300 books on his shelves and can access thousands more at our local library.

When I enter a space of lack – what I don’t have – or limitation – what I’m not seemingly capable of manifesting right now, my energy tightens. My ability to adopt a broader vision and see beyond my own challenges shrinks.

Have you also been experiencing this kind of constriction?

Yet as soon as I lift my head up and take a look around me, I see abundance everywhere. In the trees that are blossoming. In the friend who shares childcare with me. In the extra bit of money that unexpectedly appears.

As soon as I have an ounce of gratitude for the many moments I am blessed to spend with a healthy husband and child, I start to expand. I open to life, to possibility.

Any time I give from my heart, I receive so much in return. We all have heard the biblical expression “It’s better to give than to receive.” Scientists are now proving why this is so. They’ve discovered that our limbic brains cannot distinguish time and space, giver or receiver. So when we give of ourselves, our limbic brain also receives what we have given.

So when we give, we are also receiving. Now we are being called to give from our hearts.

My husband Jamie and I have a long-standing dream to be philanthropists. That sounds so lofty yet we have every intent of making it so.

For us, it starts with taking responsibility for how we energetically contribute to the world. Are we sending out fear, constriction, or frustration? Can we contribute acceptance, expansion, kind words, and infinite possibility?

Can we be financially responsible for ourselves and also make a conscious choice to help others?

Can we share some of our fortune and abundance; whether it’s through a blog, a free class, a donation, or volunteering our time?

Over the past three years Jamie & I have been focused on raising our toddler, running two businesses, writing books, and living a full life. Now we’re ready to lift our heads up once again and send out energy, into our bodies, into our own dream, and into the world at large.

I have no doubt that in the process we will reinvigorate the power to create our dreams – only this time our dream will be even more expansive. It includes not just our own family, or even our own spiritual community, but also the greater world at large.

Won’t you join us?

The Giving Hearts is a community of individuals who believes in the power of restoring, rejuvenating, and reinvigorating ourselves so that we have an abundance of energy to send out into our world.

Jamie and Meghan Gilroy, Master Teachers, lead these monthly teleclasses that are filled with heightened awareness and a high vibration of energy. From this space, we then direct our energy to those in need, particularly Mother Earth.

The call is by donation and 50% of the income will be donated to non-profits that support the wellbeing of humanity and the Earth. Invite friends, give what you can, and feel the benefits of giving and receiving.

Telecall Dates, all at 8:30pm: Thu, May 20th, Thu, June 17th, Thu, July 15th

Call: 218-486-1600  Enter PIN 920454

Donations are on the honor system.

HOW TO DONATE: You can donate through PayPal or mailing a check to “Meghan Gilroy” Life MasteryPrograms, PO Box 261, Marblehead, MA 01945.

Yet when my almost three-year old, Bodhi, awoke from a nap wailing uncontrollably, I watched myself react to Bo’s big emotion in all the ways that I used to before I had awareness: with judgment, by trying to fix it, distract him from it, and run from it. But when I “awoke” from my old reactions and squarely faced Bodhi’s distress, it transformed in just a few deep breaths.
 
Bodhi and I rarely nap together, bodies snuggled close. The preciousness of naptime is usually reserved for plowing through as much work as possible. Yet on a cold, wet, March afternoon after a busy week, I couldn’t resist burrowing under the flannel sheets with Bodhi.

The sweetness of this rare resting time abruptly ended when Bodhi awoke sobbing in my ear. As I came back from my deep slumber, my first reaction was annoyance. This is not a pleasant way to wake up!

But as soon as I had my wits about me, I picked Bo up and drew him in close; A surefire way to calm him down. But his eyes remained squeezed shut and tears kept streaming down his face.

Next I started rocking him; another tactic that usually works. But no dice. After a few more minutes of this uncharacteristic upset, my mind began searching for a cause. Was he hungry? Did he have a bad dream? What he sick? I tried gently asking him questions, but he was too upset for me to understand his replies.

As one part of me was experiencing the full force of his emotion and reacting to it, another more aware aspect of me was witnessing my reactions. Oh look! You love him and truly care for him, but mostly you just want this to stop. You are trying to fix him and his emotion.

Even with this awareness, I watched myself promptly get up and carry him down to our kitchen – thinking a change of scene might soothe him and a snack would distract him. Look at you trying to use food to divert the emotion. Not a good pattern!

Meanwhile Bo wailed, “Noooo Mama!!!!!”

At a loss, I began walking around our house. I carried Bodhi into my office and sat down in the chair I usually process clients in. Through his gulping sobs, he cried out, “No! I… don’t… want… here!”

While I normally feel calm in the presence of my client’s emotion, my own child’s distress was tugging at my heartstrings. I briefly considered leaving him in the chair until he calmed down. One side of me just wanted to get away from the intensity of his emotional energy. Once again that inner voice spoke, How would you feel if someone you loved and trusted walked away from you when you were in emotional distress?

So I took a deep breath and we left the room. I tried heading back upstairs – more wailing. Sitting on the stairs – still more crying.

Finally, I sat down on our couch and wrapped him in a soft, thick, heavy blanket, hugging him to my chest. He struggled against me, but I gently covered all but a tiny window over his head so I could see his face and he could see mine. I invited myself to breathe more deeply.

As I did, I felt Bo’s body relax. He took a long, shuddering breath and for the first time in twenty minutes (that felt like an eternity), his crying subsided. I continued to sit and breathe. Every few minutes, he would inhale and exhale in deeper gulps. He began to calm down.

After a few more minutes, his head poked out of the covers. “Mama?” he asked sweetly, “Can I have some dinner, then make a car show?” I smiled at this mercurial child, grateful that the thunderstorm had passed. “Yes, of course.” I replied. With that, Bodhi hopped up and ran off to play.

I took several more deep breaths, amazed, shaken, and in awe. I witnessed all my old reactions to uncomfortable emotion and appreciated my willingness to finally stop. Sit. Be still. Breathe.

Later that night, I asked Bodhi if he knew why he had awoken from his nap so upset. He looked at me momentarily and shrugged, unconcerned – then went back to his car show. I fully let go of trying to figure it out, and finally just accepted the big e-motion for what it is: energy in motion that passed through his body.

By letting go of trying to figure out the reason, by taking the action to accept Bodhi’s emotion rather than stop or resist it, together we allowed that energy to clear and Bodhi returned to his usual happy state.

And isn’t that what all of us desire? To be happy and free from suffering?

When we have the courage to sit in the face of disturbing emotion – no matter how big or subtle, no matter where it came from or why it is here, we gift ourselves with the energy of self-acceptance. That energy is healing. And it frees us from our suffering. It allows the hurt to pass through us.

Time and time again, I have the opportunity to bear witness to the power of consciously choosing to allow emotion to move through the body – whether it’s through myself, a client, or Bodhi. And I know for certain that when we make the choice to embrace our emotion fully, we can enter a state of balance and happiness just as Bodhi did.

And that is true freedom.

What I will now share with you is my interpretation of don Miguel Ruiz’s interpretation of the truth – which is perhaps the main and underlying topic of the entire book of Toltec Wisdom.

Don Miguel states that life’s creation is the truth. Objects of our perception are the truth. Our interpretation of them is a reflection of the truth. A chair just is. The image of light that is reflected off the chair and perceived through our eyes and brain is a reflection of the chair, of the truth. We then make an interpretation, we use language to assign it a name “chair” and then we might also attach our opinions about the chair. It’s a beautiful or ugly chair, a big or small chair.

Of course in the example of the chair, this may have minimal impact on our lives. Yet when we multiply our interpretations across every object and concept, when we apply interpretations of right, wrong, good, or bad to ourselves, to others, to religions, to nations, you can imagine the amount of distortion that we humans create. Especially if we believe that the way we see the chair (or ourselves or others) is the right way, the only way, or the same way as everyone else.

So that brings us to Be skeptical. We can use the power of doubt to learn to look beyond the way our mind, our program, or our domestication has instructed us to interpret the world. We no longer need to believe that our thoughts and stories are true. When we judge ourselves, when we criticize the way we look, when we feel we fall short of the way we “should” be, we can choose not to believe our interpretations.

Instead we can turn inward to our authentic hearts. We can challenge ourselves to see beyond our mind and its ability to name and categorize everything to the essence of ourselves. We can learn to connect to the force of Life itself and perceive our connection to it and to all living creatures. Can you imagine the freedom that can bring?

Which brings us to Learn to Listen. As we learn to see our intrepretation of life as a virtual reality, a reflection of the truth, we can learn to listen, to hunt for the meaning behind the words. Is it true what we hear within our heads? Is it true what others say about us? We can learn to listen to what is true for ourselves, to listen to our hearts. When we understand that each of us are using symbols – language – to express ourselves. We can be skeptical of the words but willing to listen. We might just connect to ourselves and to each other in a way transcends the words. Can you imagine the possibilities?

Each of us is an artist. How do we want to express our perceptions? How do we want to interpret our experiences in life? We can choose to express ourselves in ways that make us sad and bring suffering, or we can choose to express ourselves in ways that make us happy and bring us pleasure. We are here to enjoy life. Why not make it a work of art?

Ultimately, our presence is the message. What message are you delivering? What message do you share with yourself and those around you? With awareness, you have the freedom to be the real you. You have the power to make your life hell or a work of heavenly art.

I have practiced being skeptical and listening for many years now. Each day when I awake, I do my best to create a living work of art. I turn inward daily to connect to my heart, my true nature, my connection to all of Life. I am so grateful for don Miguel, who opened my eyes to the truth, and who has the courage and eloquence to craft into words an energy and experience that is truly indescribable. He is a true artist and an inspiration. I invite you to join him, to join me, in the journey of letting go of your interpretations and experiencing pure perception, of finding ways to express your interpretation authentically.

Don Miguel closes The Fifth Agreement by asking us to help change the world. Each of us lives within our own world, within the perceptions and interpretations within our minds, within our own unique physical body. When we take responsibility for living our life as a great work of art, with great joy and happiness, we can change the greater world as our happiness, peace and joy radiate out from us. Won’t you join us?

 Buy The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery

… For those of you who have not had the pleasure (or need a refresher) of the first Four Agreements, here they are, which a little glimpse of don Miguel’s new twist in The Fifth Agreement:

1. Be Impeccable with Your Word: The Story of You
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally: Every Mind if a World
3. Don’t Make Assumptions: Truth or Fiction
4. Always Do Your Best: Practice Makes the Master       

From the book The Fifth Agreement © 2010, don Miguel Ruiz, Don Jose Ruiz, Janet Mills.  Reprinted by permission of Amber-Allen Publishing, Inc. P.O. Box 6657, San Rafael, CA 94903. All rights reserved.

Be Skeptical, But Learn to Listen.

The Fifth Agreement, don Miguel Ruiz

Learn more about The Fifth Agreement by don Miguel Ruiz.

Buy The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery

The Charlie Schultz Philosophy

Scroll through slowly and read carefully to receive and enjoy full effect…
 

The  following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip.

You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.
Just read straight through, and you’ll get the point.

1. Name  the five wealthiest people in the  world.
2. Name  the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name  the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4  Name  ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name  the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name  the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? 
The point is, none of us remember the head liners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish…
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one: 

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier? 

The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials… the most money…or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most. 
 

How will you show that you care today??
 
”Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!”

What do those words trigger in you?

My guess is some combination of stress and joy, dread and delight. For many years, I loved the excitement of December only to collapse come January. Gatherings with friends and family was both fun – and often left me feeling rundown. I enjoyed buying, wrapping, even making cards and presents only to find myself staying up too late and spending beyond my budget. Sound familiar?

So how can we approach the holidays with awareness? How can we not just survive, but THRIVE during the festivities?Here’s a few tips, I’ve gleaned over the years:

1. What does your heart desire this holiday season? Take a few minutes to pause, close your eyes, and check in with the emotional quality that you’d like to foster throughout this month. Perhaps it’s joy, goodwill, creativity, or connecting with family. Allow the sensation to wash over you. Take a snapshot of what this feels like. Write down your intent for these next 30 days and post it where you can see it. Then look at it daily.

2. Peace on Earth starts with peace within you. Can you spare 5 minutes? 5 breaths? Make time each day, even if it’s only for a few minutes to foster the feeling your heart desires. Everyone around you will thank you for your good vibes. Most of all you’ll feel good!

3. Remember others in need. When we extend beyond our own preoccupations, whether it’s how much money we have (or don’t have) or how much time we have (or don’t have) to complete our to do list, we can gain perspective. Gratitude for what we do have is a great present to ourselves. Volunteer if you have time. Donate to a worthy cause if you have money. When we reach out to others, we foster a sense of connection. T’is the season to give what we can – and not just to our immediate families and friends.

 4. Presents & cards. How could you give presents/send cards in a way that feels good to you? I don’t like malls, so I walk around town and shop at our local stores, buy online, or make presents. I used to make elaborate one-of-a-kind cards and gifts, then I had a baby – and realized that stressing out over lovingly crafted handmade gifts wasn’t so heart-centered after all. Play with what feels right. If you are feeling stressed over gifts or cards, it’s your body’s way of saying, “Is there another more pleasurable way to do this?”

5. Visit an alien planet. At some point this month, I’ll bet you have an obligation to entertain or interact with people that can push your buttons. Could be when you’re visiting family, going to an office holiday party, or connecting with your husband’s/wife’s/other friends. Pretend like you are a visitor on an alien planet. Instead of taking their customs personally (no matter how bizarre they might be), simply notice how they live, what they like/dislike, how they communicate with a sense of curiosity. Oh, so that’s how they ____ here! And don’t forget to thank god that you’ll be travelling home soon.

 6. How good does it really feel to be completely stuffed after a holiday meal? In my experience, not so good. When a table laden with delicious food appears in front of us, we are tempted to eat more than normal. Why do that to your body? Eat in moderation. Save some for leftovers. Take pleasure if what you do put in your mouth. Enjoy (just not too much!)

7. Think back to your favorite holiday memories. Are they about gifts you received or a special tradition or time with your family? My strongest holiday memory is tied to my grandmother making cookies. How can you spend quality time with your family, your self, or your friends? Last year, one of my students realized that they couldn’t afford their typical tons of presents under the tree. So instead of asking her children to write a “what we want for Christmas” list, she asked them to write a “what we’d like to do as a family list.” The kids asked for sledding, making hot chocolate and cookies, and decorating the house to the nines. She turned a potential “lack” into an “abundance.” Her family had their favorite Christmas ever.

8. What gift can you give yourself? What would be the best gift you could possibly give to yourself this year? Could you splurge on taking extra good care of yourself by taking more baths, getting a massage, or spending time meditating? How about splurging on a gift that you normally wouldn’t treat yourself to? This holiday, invite yourself to take care of YOU in whatever way feels right to your heart. If each of us takes responsibility for how we are feeling this year, what energy we contribute through our thoughts, words, emotions, and actions, and how much love we spread around, it will be a very merry holiday indeed.

 Happy Holidays! May the light that you are shine brightly!

I fully expected Bodhi to take to pre-school like a duck to water. On our observation visit, Bodhi ran down the hall into a classroom and immediately begun playing with the toys. He happily joined in at snacktime (apparently children don’t usually eat if they are uncomfortable). Within minutes, the director commented, “Oh yeah, he’s ready.”

The school resonated with us on many levels – the conscious Montessori philosophy that reflected our own, the kind and caring teachers, the many stimulating activities that Bodhi dove right into. We felt comfortable knowing that one of his friends was in the same class. Given Bodhi’s inquisitiveness and high energy, we thought Montessori might be a better fit than other schools that we considered. We wanted to try the Montessori way out in the toddler program, since we didn’t think we’d want to send him to a 5-day a week preschool next year (which was the only option at this school).

As you may have gleaned from these blogs, Bodhi is typically precocious, outgoing, and confident. He hardly glances up when I leave him with his nanny, grandmother, or babysitter. He’s used to being dropped off at relatives’ houses. He spends several mornings a week with his nanny out and about in the world. I figured pre-school would be an organic next step. Boy, was I wrong.

The school had a gentle transition policy – parents can stay for as many days as it takes to acclimate the child. I liked this gentle approach. So I was quite surprised when he burst into tears when I said I was leaving after a successful first few days. I chalked it up to a normal transition, recalling a few times that he’s cried for a few minutes when I’ve walked out the door. When his teacher reported that he continued to cry for almost an hour, I was really baffled. While he expresses emotion readily, it usually passes like a thunderstorm.

Each time we went to school or talked about school, Bodhi would ask if I would be leaving him there. He often started crying – which was the first time I observed him crying about an event that was about to happen in the future (as opposed to crying because of being hurt or angry in the moment). He was swatting at me, which he had never done before and generally seemed out of sorts. His nanny told me he seemed more aggressive with other children on the playground and when asked about school, he wouldn’t answer when he normally chats about any activity he loves non-stop. What really caught my attention, was that he no longer wanted me to leave him with his nanny, grandmother, or babysitter – all of whom he adores.

As I sat with all I was observing in Bodhi, I was struck that he not only wasn’t being his “normal” self when I tried to drop him off (which I somewhat expected) but he also wasn’t being his “normal” self in all the other aspects of our life either. My mind lobbed reasons why it made sense to keep him in school. Yet my heart kept whispering its doubts. The more I listened to what I was sensing and feeling, the more I had to align with my intuition. 

Given all the changes in Bodhi, I realized that he wasn’t ready for a drop-off school. He was communicating this in the best way he knew how – through his emotion and his change in behavior – not to mention he verbalized not wanting to go the best he could. I questioned whether I should “push” him through the transition, knowing that if we stuck at it, he would eventually adjust. Then I caught myself. We didn’t need to have Bodhi in school, we had other childcare options. He’d be in school for the rest of his life. Why push, when we’ve been so conscious about being gentle and nurturing from his first day of life?

When I took another step back, I witnessed all the recent changes in his life that coincided with him going to school. Being in school 2 days a week meant that he was away from me one less morning and away from him nanny one less morning. It also meant that he no longer could play with his best buddy since they were on an opposite day of the week school schedule. His “Manny” and “Mammy” (Rita & Ed), who were like an additional set of grandparents, just moved to California. And he was now hanging out with a large group of children for multiple hours in a row, when he’s normally not in a large group or class for more than 30 minutes to an hour. Added up, that’s a whole lot of change for a 2 ½ year old.  

As I communicated my concerns to the school, they were generally very supportive of making it easier for Bodhi. Yet I also sensed an underlying attitude that I was the one who wasn’t ready to let him go through this discomfort. When they suggested sending him to school 3-days a week instead of just 2, every cell in my body said “no.” While I understood that a 3-day a week plan would be more consistent (and would have made sense if I was truly committed to having Bodhi go to school), I knew in my heart that this wasn’t the solution for Bodhi. Without being able to fully articulate why, it simply didn’t feel right to keep sending him to school. So I withdrew him from pre-school.

We went to school one more time to say goodbye to his teachers and to his guinea pig friend. I thanked the teachers and director profusely – they really had done their best to make Bodhi’s school experience as comfortable and enriching as possible. As we waved goodbye and I told Bodhi that I wouldn’t be leaving him by himself at school any more, I could feel him relax. Within days, all the changes in him subsided. It was like he was a different child, only the difference was he was our sweet, old gregarious Bodhi. We signed up for a Mommy & Me “school” which he loves and talks about eagerly all week.

Looking back, I can see all my logical reasons for enrolling Bodhi in school. I am proud that Bo “dropped out.” In fact, what I’m most proud of is Jamie and my willingness to listen to Bodhi’s emotion and behavior, as well as our own intuition, over what our minds – or anyone else had to say about Bodhi being in school.

When I called my mom to tell her that Bodhi dropped out of school, she laughed. “Well, your grandmother would be happy,” she said. “Why?” I asked intrigued. “I enrolled you in pre-school when you were 3 and you hated it, so I pulled you out. Your grandmother thought it was ridiculous to enroll a 3 year old in school so she was quite pleased when you ‘decided’ that you didn’t want to go.” Not it was my turn to laugh. Who knew that Bodhi was merely following his mother’s footsteps? 2^nd generation pre-school drop-out indeed!

Questions for contemplation:

1. When you are making decisions for your child, do you often go with your gut or heart?
2. If you notice a change in your child’s behavior, emotion, or attitude, do you tune in to him/her, and “listen” to what they are saying?
3. Are you willing to go with your gut/heart/intuition over what your head may say? Over what the outside world has to say? 
4. Do you support your child when they go with what they are feeling instead of what makes logical sense?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, check in with ways that you might be more open and willing to consider the wisdom and intelligence that comes from an internal knowing – balanced with what comes from common sense or logic. Your body – and your child – may one day thank you!

Case in point: we were about to leave the playground, or rather I was ready to leave given our schedule. Bodhi was too happy to be in the moment, popping in and out of a tower in a miniature castle.

I went through my usual routine, giving Bodhi a few minutes of warning, explaining that we were going to meet Papa and Mammy Rita for lunch (!), asking him to come down now. None of it enticed him.

Since he was inside a child-sized castle, it would have made picking him up a rather tricky endeavor. Plus I don’t like to “force” him to come with me. I prefer that he is motivated to happily come along. So I dug a little deeper to be more clever and more creative than my two-year-old.

“Pepper’s in the car. What? What Pep? You can’t wait to hear all about Bodhi’s adventures?” Bodhi paused momentarily to consider my “conversation” with his rabbit stuffie, then went back to playing. “What? You’re getting into Bodhi’s snack?” Bodhi raised one eyebrow. Still, no dice.

I felt like a batter swinging at balls and missing. How could I inspire Bodhi to come along? I suddenly remembered that a VW tow truck was often parked in an adjacent repair shop.

“Hey Bo, I wonder if that old VW tow truck is parked around the corner?” Bodhi is a classic truck/car fanatic. Before I knew it, Bodhi was running toward our car. “Come on Mama! Let’s go see!”

Now I was the one being “dragged” along in his enthusiasm. As soon as I discovered an activity that was more interesting and enticing than what he was currently doing, he gladly came with me.

So how do you motivate and appeal to your child and their interests? How can you create a game or scavenger hunt? What are other ways that have worked for you?

Here’s to keeping it clever and creative.