It’s Election Day. Keep Breathing.
announcements
Five Tips for Finding Joy in Parenting
Friday, November 8 at 12 PM PDT
Free
I spend a lot of time working with parents to survive the challenges of family life. When do we get to THRIVING? In this workshop we will fly above the fray and discuss five proven techniques to experience and savor moments of parental joy.
the heart of the matter
Election Day is here. As a business owner, I obviously need to stay neutral about my vote and my hopes.
My caffeine and cortisol levels are at all time highs. Today, we’re all holding our breath as we scroll news updates with one eye, knowing damn well there won’t be anything interesting happening until nighttime. I’m trying to stay chill today as I anticipate unfettered screams of joy or packing my family and cats in the car and dashing for the border.
Today is ripe with uncertainty. For parents and for educators, our nerves affect the kids around us. Let’s remind ourselves to take deep breaths and focus on what we can control: our well-being and that of our little ones.
Here are five practical ways to keep your family or classroom sane and grounded today:
1. Show Off Your Vote
Explain voting to your little ones. I fill out my ballot in advance, but I always save it for election day and then take my kids to drop it off at the polls. The election workers give the kids extra I Voted stickers. With tweens and teens, have conversations about issues that matter and which candidates they would vote for.
2. Plan a Family Distraction
Movies, board games, or turning the backyard into a mini-gym—anything that temporarily redirects everyone’s attention. Enjoy some time with TV off this evening. The results will be there – the play by play will just stress you out.
3. Have a Classroom Discussion
Ask your students how they are feeling about election day. Talk about the importance of voting and remind the kids that suffrage was withheld from indigenous people, African Americans, and women for much of our country’s history. Mostly, give your students a space to share fears and feelings. Trump has been direct about his plans to increase deportations and roll back LGBTQ rights. We remember the attempted Muslim ban, the attempt to repeal DACA, the effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, the loss of reproductive freedom. There are real reasons for fear and students should have a space to process their feelings in community. Remind them that you will always stand up for who they are.
4. Model Calm – even if it’s fake
Kids pick up on our anxiety faster than my cat spotting an unattended glass of water. If you’re feeling tense, take a moment to close your eyes and pretend you’re sipping a tropical drink on a beach. (Pro tip: The kid version of this involves pretending you’re a pirate who’s too busy finding treasure to worry about politics.) If you have a mindfulness or prayer practice, engage it today! Make sure to practice joy for yourself and for the kids. I’m carving out time for pickleball this afternoon, and my youngest and I are making meatball soup for dinner.
5. Practice the 3 C's: Comfort, Cookies, and Cartoons
Speaking of joy – today is a great day for some indulgence. There’s a time for kale chips, and there’s a time for cookies. Today is the latter. Share a treat, cuddle up, and pick a cartoon that makes everyone laugh (or at least groan). Laughter is still the best medicine, even when you’re doom-scrolling X on the sly. Do your normal bedtime routine. I know you are going to stay up late but read to your kids and tuck them in or yell at your teens to get off their damn phones. Do whatever your regular Tuesday routine is. Ritual conveys normalcy and stability.
This shit is scary, but we’ve got this. Today might feel intense, but when we’re mindful of our own mental health, we create a safe space for our kids to weather the storm with us. If all else fails, there’s always that emergency stash of chocolate in the pantry. Stay sane and remember to breathe.
we’re obsessed with
Tom Pyun’s Something Close to Nothing. My ex-boyfriend just published a novel. I’m pissed that I’m not cast as a villain. Nonetheless, the book is both touching and hilarious. I’m only in chapter three but I’ve laughed out loud four times. Check it out.
Writing. Not to be outdone, I’ve started working on my own book. Excerpts will soon appear in this newsletter. If you are a writer-parent, please share your tactics for time management, getting words on a page, and quieting imposter syndrome, while navigating the distractions of work and family life. But don’t tell me to play less pickleball, that ain’t gonna happen.
Simone Biles Rising. I just binged this four-part Netflix show. It’s inspiring, it provides lots of details I didn’t know (example, Simone’s adoptive father is also her biological grandfather), and it chronicles her journey to be mentally well. I love how much her husband loves her and supports her.
where we’ve been
Thanks to San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families and Mission Graduates for sponsoring a workshop on Supporting Spirited Kids. Every classroom has a couple of kids that have bigger feelings, bigger behaviors, and are a little bit extra in all ways. This workshop equips educators and youth work professionals with a toolkit of tactics to help these kids thrive while maintaining boundaries and order. This was an eager and fun crew to work with!
DCYF also invited me to run a training of trainers on conducting Healing Circles. These are a powerful tool to create space for sharing, vulnerability, and openness. We are supporting folks who work with youth and families to offer spaces of healing to the community and to their colleagues.
I was proud to be the keynote speaker at the CoCo Kids conference for early childhood educators in Contra Costa County. I spoke about Cultural Wisdom and Intergenerational Healing.
Book a workshop for your school or organization.
Bring The Village Well to your school or organization. We provide powerful, interactive and fun workshops for parents and/or staff. Learn more.
Ed Center, the founder of The Village Well, is a parenting coach and educator certified in the Triple P method. The Village Well is a community of parents in BIPOC families, focused on attaining more joy, calm, and meaning in family life. We coach parents to prioritize their own healing and wellness, deepen connections with their kids, and learn tools to support better behavior. Services include Parenting workshops, Parenting courses, and community events. Our support is culturally-grounded support and honors your unique family. Ready to stop yelling? Schedule a free consultation with one of our team members.
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