She muses

Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation. C. Everett Koop

First off, I’m not a parent… I’m an auntie. It is a role that I cherish. I’m the kind of wacky auntie that loves to play, read, rap, dance, giggle and snuggle. Although the auntie antics are light I take the act of child raising very seriously. In my theory of change, this is it. This is the big one. As a parent or as a part of a child’s extended community, this is perhaps the single greatest act of transformational change we can offer to the world.

For only as we ourselves, as adults, actually move and have our being in the state of love, can we be appropriate models and guides for our children. What we are teaches the child far more than what we say, so we must be what we want our children to become.
Doc Lew Childre

I am very fortunate to have many role models in my life that exemplify this practice. Further, I am literally surrounded by committed, heartfully engaged, full on parenting fathers. Yes, that’s right. Fathers, in the most beautiful sense of the word.

Josh, Dean, Steve, Dave, Sean, Gideon, Drew, Matt, Dad… I’m calling you out. You rock my world.

These men have stellar partners. They are high grade mothers. I imagine this is where their inspiration comes from. Their commitment feeding one another. When one is down the other steps in.

For me, it is a gift to work in an organization where shop talk offers an opportunity to share parenting stories and provide support to the shared engaged fathering experience. The continuous flow of staff emails calling out changes in work schedules to serve family responsibilities inspire me. This is social change in the making.

As this year ends… I want to send a big shout out to all of you amazing parents and your communities of support. You are making real change happen in this world. Know that the respect and love you are modeling in your intimate relationships is work of the highest order. Ultimately, it’s all that really matters. Thank you.

Footnote: Most read parenting book in the ONE/Northwest office this year, Unconditional Parenting, Alfie Kohn.

More than just another book about discipline, though, Unconditional Parenting addresses the ways parents think about, feel about, and act with their children. It invites them to question their most basic assumptions about raising kids while offering a wealth of practical strategies for shifting from “doing to” to “working with” parenting – including how to replace praise with the unconditional support that children need to grow into healthy, caring, responsible people. This is an eye-opening, paradigm-shattering book that will reconnect readers to their own best instincts and inspire them to become better parents.