my new life as an intentional parent

I started using the term “intentional parent” about 5 years ago and actively implementing new practices 4 years ago. Yes, it took a whole year for me to go from all talk to a little bit of action. As with all life changes, it’s an up and down journey, never a straight line of perfection. After reading a few parenting books, starting a Mamas support group, normalizing conversations about the challenges of motherhood and how it’s often linked to the root of our own childhood experiences, I decided to learn the science behind human development in a way that promotes intentionally changed behavior. I read some journal prompts and used them to check-in with myself daily. These prompts are offered below and I tweaked the prompts so they’d take only about 5 minutes of reflection time- just enough to start the day with healthy ambition, and realistic enough for a full-time mama with tons to do all day everyday. I told myself “I can and deserve to give myself 5 minutes of reflection, and my kids deserve that of me too.” I loved using these prompts in my weekly planner because the space was the right size for each day and I could hold myself to completing as much of the week as my heart and bandwidth could handle. So, here we go, check them out, hope they’re helpful.

1- How is my body feeling this morning?

2- Where am I at emotionally in this moment?

3- Today, I am going to make a conscious choice to focus on __________________

4- Today, my promise to myself is _________________________________________

5- Today, my wish for my relationship with my children is _____________________

6- When this wish is fulfilled, I will feel _____________________________________

* prompts credit to Jai Parenting Institute *