The Unlived Life of a Parent

“There is no greater burden on a child than the unlived life of a parent”.
-Carl Jung

Don’t let the scenery & smiles fool you in this photo. This picture was taken March 18, 2020, the day after the world shut down. I had Suzy in my belly & Tommy had just turned 1. I was still struggling with PPD. The uncertainty & fear of the unknown was crippling.

I locked the doors to my classroom, not realizing in the moment that I would never return. I spent 3 months teaching remotely from a Starbucks parking lot (we didn’t have access to wifi on the ranch) with no childcare. Pivoting from hands-on, play based learning in a special education classroom to a screen. It was honestly a nightmare, but I knew there was hope on the horizon.

I made the best of the stay at home orders & have so many beautiful memories with Tommy before Suzy arrived. We PLAYED. We CREATED together. I felt a shift. For 8 years, I had the idea of The Playful Space in my back pocket. I asked myself: “if not now, when?”

Build it & they will come. I began sharing my idea with my friends & family. I committed to 5 mins of creativity a day. Turns out, so many other women were looking for connection & creativity as well, but I was scared of failing. Scared of no one showing up. Who was I to start a business? Who the hell did I think I was planning a retreat?!? The gremlin voices crept in. Then I looked at my son & felt those beautiful Suzy kicks in my belly & thought: “I need them to see me trying. I need them to see me LIVING a life I love. I need them to see me failing & tripping & getting back up again. I need them to see me being a human, not just their mom.”

Get out there and LIVE your life. The “mom as a selfless martyr” is tired, spoon-fed bullshit (pardon my French).

If you need a shock to your system, a creative reboot, a chance to feel ALIVE….join me on this journey!