Being In Control Of Your Life
You know what I’ve observed about the mothers who have enrolled in the Sugar Hill New Mom’s Group over the last six years?
They have by and large been achievers.
And you know what I know about us achievers? We like to be in control of our outcomes.
But, here’s the thing I’ve learned along my parenting journey—-the only thing I’m in control of is my response. That’s it.
Me from our trip to Mexico City this past January.
I can’t guarantee that all the protein and veggies that I feed our kids will protect them from some grave illness. I can’t guarantee that by providing them with an excellent education at a school that takes into account who they are as they instill an inner-motivation to learn will result in a lifetime of meaningful work and lived experience. And, I sure can’t control whether my children will still get along and love each other as they do now, once they get older.
I have been reminded so many times throughout my parenting journey of how not in control I am. One of the most salient examples includes doing everything I could to ensure that one of my kids could read only to learn that they have a reading disability.
Family picture from our visit to the Balloon Museum earlier this year
All too often I see people trying to control their futures by keeping jobs that are stripping them of whatever mental and physical stability is left after having kids. They stay in the job because of the pay or the benefits or because they’re not ready to deal with the backlash of a bold movement away from a career that everyone in their life understands.
The result is them living a hollowed version of themselves.
The one thing we can control is our actions, how we respond to whatever life throws at us.
So, if life is throwing a pile of “I no longer want to do this work anymore because I am being eaten alive by it,” let’s talk!
All our children do is observe us. While we can’t control their exact outcomes, we can control how we’re living our lives, which will inevitably have positive outcomes for theirs.
With love,
Petrushka
Your Local Ice Cream Lady & Life/Business Coach
P.S. We have an exciting new in-person program that dives into all of the running thoughts one experiences when they're pregnant. It's being led by SHMOM Alumna Molly Rosner and it's for expecting mothers. You can learn more about it here. It's going to be great!