As I started the journey to opening the doors (figuratively) of The Parent Academy, I spent a lot of time wondering if there was anyone out there who was going to listen to me.
You see, I don’t have letters after my name or a degree in child psychology. I don’t have a medical background, I really don’t do well with blood.
What I do have is experience as a mum. I have a gorgeous now 6 year old daughter who was the opposite of everything you read in any book about what a baby should be doing and when. She taught me that parenting experts are often wrong and that the best baby book is the one in the bin.
I also have a 2yo son who is the polar opposite of his sister and who taught me that I could trust in my own instincts and that every baby is different. He taught me that releasing my fears of getting this parenting gig wrong allowed me to get it right, even when I was doing it all wrong.
What both my kids have taught me is that there is no one right way to raise a baby into a toddler and on into a pre-schooler. They taught me that the only way to find their individual right way is by trial and error. There is no magic fix that does not in some way, shape or form harm their development. There is no short cut.
The only way to get through is one day at a time and at the end of each day you celebrate the strength, courage and success of getting through in one piece.
I learnt that to raise strong, healthy, happy adults I needed to learn about how a child develops into one. I needed to know the effect that parenting has on that development and how to parent with that final vision in mind.
So when someone tries to tell me I’m a parenting expert I laugh. I am not.
What I am is a sounding board, a mentor who has tried many of the thousands of parenting tips and tricks out there and a brain to pick when you are at a loss as to what to try next. What I am is part of your village, the mum who has been there before you and has knowledge to share both for raising your child and processing the emotions that arise within you as you progress on the journey.
The Parent Academy 