In November, social media is plastered with gratitude posts and 30-day thankful challenges.  We all feel a little warmer and kinder to others, but what about the rest of the year? Often, when parents are thinking of ways to make their home more loving and peaceful,they focus first on eliminating yelling and harsh discipline. But having an attitude of gratitude year-round is an expressway to happier living. 

Increases optimism 
When you're consciously grateful, you're more likely to live with a glass half full. 

Improves self-esteem 
When you're grateful, you are more aware of all the good in your life and the good people around you. With that much goodness, you're bound to feel a little good yourself. 

Feel more rested
A happy heart falls asleep quicker and easier. A troubled heart tosses and turns. I don't know about you but I sure like my sleep. Bring on the gratitude journal. 

Decreases stress
When you look for things to be thankful for, the bad stuff doesn't seem so bad.  When I have a lot of big projects coming due, I find myself saying things like "At least, once I'm done, I'll have time to read my new book." I'm less stressed because I'm grateful for something in the future. 

Decreases blood pressure
When you're less stressed, your blood pressure improves. Win win. 

Reduces risk of depression
This is linked back to the glass half full perspective of life. ​

Improves E.I. 
Being grateful and practicing gratefulness helps to improve your emotional intelligence. This has the nice affect of reducing toxic negative emotions from your life. 

​Leads to stronger relationships 
A beautiful affect of  a grateful heart is that your relationships will become stronger, deeper, and healthier. Why? Because you appreciate more nuances of the relationship. If you are whizzing through life, you might miss out on the little things. And people, life IS the little things. My husband preps the coffee maker for me every morning. All I have to do is hit "brew" and my miracle drug pour into the carafe. It's a little thing, but I am grateful for it. Not because it gets me my caffeine fix faster, but because it reminds me how much my husband loves me, and I am surely grateful for that love.

Increases spirituality 
While you're working on improving your attitude of gratitude, it may flow over into your spiritual life. After all, should we not be thankful for this beautiful life we are given? 

What are some ways that you practice gratitude? 

There's a myth circulating that parents who practice gentle parenting are so much more consumed with their children that they lack personal free time as well as time as a couple. The truth is, it is definitely easy to neglect other relationships, but that has nothing to do with gentle parenting. Any parent, regardless of parenting style, can lose their free time. Free time must be diligently scheduled. 

​The key is balance. All parents must balance their role as parent and spouse and human being. It is important for a parent to foster a healthy, happy relationship with his/her spouse and friends. Children thrive in homes where they see their caregivers spending quality time together. 

Time spent doing what you love benefits not only you but your relationship with your children. Why is "me time" so important?

• It destresses you: even something as simple as coloring in an adult coloring book or sipping tea and reading a book
• It recharges you: parenting is hard work, and it can take a lot out of you. Spending time doing what you love helps to recharge you and give you the mental energy you need for caring for children. 
• It refuels your patience. Parents need patience. Enough said :)
• It teaches children the importance of being able to spend time alone. Spending time alone is an important skill which can actually boost self-esteem and self-respect.
• It teachers children about diversity: everyone has unqiue hobbies, and that is okay. 

What do you like to do in your free time? Comment below!

Nearly every expectant mother has taken a stroll down the parenting section of a bookstore (or scrolled through it on a Kindle.) There is no shortage of parenting books. In fact, the market is pretty saturated, but there is a reason parents read about parenting strategies, methods, tips, and hacks. We all want parenting to be easier, to find some secret sauce that makes our bundles of joy ... well... joyful. So it makes sense that when we implement and diligently follow a certain method that we expect it to work. 

This myth is actually the opposite of the first myth (that kids will rule the house and there will be no discipline).  Myth #2 propogates the idea that if gentle parenting is so peaceful, then you should have angelic baby angels who comply at all times and never misbehave. 

Newsflash! Children are... well... people. They are not "mini adults", but they are people. People with free will and big emotions, real feelings, and unique opinions. As such, kids who grow up are not automatically well-behaved. 

Gentle parenting is all about the long-term investment. You are raising the children of today, but you are also raising a man or woman of tomorrow. How they are raised now does affect who they will be tomorrow. The truth is that choosing to parent gently does not mean that your child will behave perfectly all of the time. 

Yes, children will still throw tantrums and meltdown, but the point is that those tantrums are met with respect, listening, and empathy. Through the parental modeling of respect and empathy, the child learns respect and empathy. 

The goal of gentle parenting is not to create a perfect son or daughter.  While the majority of the world models harsh responses (such as yelling) to unwanted behavior, the goal of gentle parenting is to model a response (ie. listening, etc) that can both teach and correct the child without damaging his/her emotional well-being.

Have you encountered any resistance to your gentle parenting?