Overcoming Fear- Embracing Change

The first step to unraveling the mess our world is in is to realize that things are changing, and fast. The real problem is that the change is happening must faster than our species can adapt.

Our technological, and often insane, way of life is not like the one we grew up with. Children of today are growing up believing that water bottles, fast food restaurants and electronic devices have always existed. We ourselves have become reliant on these new ways of life in our efforts to be more efficient or simply keep up.

Mothers of today have become somewhat distracted with the task of mothering. We are encouraged to raise our children from a distance - separated by gadgets, schedules, the media and stuff. Yet, it is our natural, inherent ability to mother. Our drive to procreate and raise our young is a part of our cellular make-up that even money driven scientists racing to clone the world cannot take away from us.

Now more than ever before, it is critical that we tap into our ancient wise women ways and reconnect with Mother Nature for answers. This blog serves as a tool for “intuitive” mothers to share what they have discovered along the way. We will take back our power with every dollar we spend, with every bit of food we prepare and the example we set for our families.

Okay, okay – a bit overwhelming? First things first! There has to be a willingness to change. We have to do something other than our ordinary routine. We have to dare to do things differently.

Shifting our habits is a slow process. Take one thing that you already believe to be an unhealthy choice for your family and the planet (say, using plastic water bottles) and simply stop doing it. Choosing something you support with your dollars is an easy place to start. Instead of just going through the routine without much thought, we begin to actually think about how we spend our money and the companies we want to support.

For example, when you make the decision to stop all plastic water bottle use in less than one month you will have saved enough money to invest in a reusable water bottle such as a KleanKanteen or SIGG reusable bottle.

Take this even a step further and use the opportunity to teach your kids the value of water as an important commodity and concepts of conservation. Research as a family exactly where your water comes and have all the family members begin to be conscious of little things like how long they take in the shower or whether or not they turn the water off when brushing their teeth.

This is the stage where it is essential to muster all of your will power and push through any resistance. Introducing new ideas may bring create struggles with other family members as well. No one said mothering was easy!

Just remember that every choice we make with our kids today will affect the generations of tomorrow. Although some of the suggestions may appear to be more effort initially, in the long run they work to your advantage. Short cuts are just an illusion.

Take breastfeeding for example. Bottle feeding an infant may at first seem to be less work than all the initial effort it takes for mom and baby to figure out how to nurse. Yet, in the end, as all of us nursing moms know, it is A LOT less work and the net results are better too (healthier and more bonded baby).

Corporations and the media support a culture that encourages women to detach from their babies. By placing something artificial in their mouths we make it difficult for them to differentiate between what is real and what is not right after birth. Big business and the economy depend on it.

We’re are talking back to basics. I’m not saying live in the middle of the woods without electricity. But a creative solution to balancing the technologies we have today balanced with living a simpler way of life. We all know that all of the “stuff” we (or our children) have does not make us happier, and in some case make us more miserable.

Get in touch with your “inner mother” to find your own personal place of balance. Cut off all outside influences that interfere with your mothering ability (yes, this could mean shutting off the TV, the radio, the Ipod, the computer…). This will not only be good for you, but for your entire family as well!

In order for us to think clearly, we cannot be distracted by the bombarding effects of marketing telling us how to think or what to buy (even if it is “green”). The point here is to start the process of thinking for ourselves, rather than having others telling us how to think. So, give it a try. For one week:

*Turn off your electronic gadgets (better yet get rid of them!)
*Sit on the floor; read with your children or play a game
*Rediscover Mother Nature; take your kids for a hike
*Witness the beauty around you; notice the signs of the changing seasons
*Find a quiet moment, and just listen (and it may only be a moment but relish every second!)

Change starts with the very first idea…share with us the challenges and successes of your experiment!

Honoring Our Instincts

We all “know” that our world is in some serious trouble. We feel it in our bones. The recent “green” movement signifies the global shift in consciousness that has been brewing in the corners of our minds for years. No longer mere whispers, the message is now being heard loud and clear.

For some of us, we have reached a place where we can no longer push them away. We are beginning to actively choose more sustainable ways of living. Yet, even as the rest of the world embraces the reality of the situation, our country as a whole still refuses to face the facts.

The bottom line is that Americans make up 4% of the population yet use up 25% of the world’s resources. Sooner or later we will have to make the necessary changes – why not begin preparing our children now?

Toxins invade our children everywhere we turn. New diseases and scares sprout up every day. Life is on this planet is different for our children than when we were kids. Forget the polar bears! We are participating in the extinction of our own species!

A sinking feeling invades us when we reach the realization that the world will never again be like the one remembered from our own childhood days. Mother Nature has been permanently altered.

Within the last ten years alone, we have been bombarded with the onslaught of genetically modified foods, aerosol spraying programs and the cloning of animal species and human body parts. Our waters are contaminated from the chemical laced cleaners used in our own homes to the toxic sludge resulting from factory farming.

What’s one mom to do?

Well, the first step is to trust our instincts and reconnect with our intuitive selves. This takes effort at first because we have been cut off from our instinctual natures. Our culture is designed to disconnect us from the natural world. We are encouraged to consume, detach, become distant and removed. We have been taught not to trust our bodies and listen to their cues.

This reminds me of the days when my children were born. My journey to motherhood began with the birth of my first child. Something internal shifted for me. My choice to birth at home with a midwife was the beginning of my empowerment as a mother.

When women give birth naturally, without any interventions, we innately tap into our intuitive wisdom to do what generations of women before us did. We allow the energy of life to flow through our bodies and guide us in the process. We tap into our inherent nature as mothers when we allow this life force, this passion, to flow though us.

Remembering our relationship to the earth is essential. Teaching our children to respect and appreciate nature, about her cycles and rhythms, where food comes from, how to identify plants, how to garden and other basic life skills establishes a foundation that they can return to.

As mothers, it is our responsibility to share with our children what is amazing about being alive. Let us embrace this window of opportunity to become motivated, inspired and encouraged as we define our future world. Let us teach them what we know so as to remember what needs not be forgotten.

In what ways do you share your connection to Mother Nature with your children? What do you feel is the most challenging aspect of being a mother today? How does your instinctual self serve as a guide in raising your children?