Hi friends!

I’ve been wanting to start this newsletter for months (maybe years), but I kept getting stuck wanting it to be “perfect” — the perfect words, the perfect design, the perfect timing.

And honestly, this is exactly the kind of thing I often talk about with parents.

We spend so much energy waiting until we feel fully ready, calm, or confident before we try something new.

But growth usually happens through trying, getting uncomfortable, and taking small steps forward even when we’re unsure — which can be especially hard for perfectionist leaning parents wanting to “get it right”.

For instance, I recently signed my son up for a summer golf league, but the matches conflicted with his very specific Saturday gaming schedule.

At first, I was frustrated because from my perspective, it seemed like a simple thing for him to move. But instead of my typical knee-jerk reaction to push my plan forward, I paused and got curious.

Eventually, we ended up having a very insightful conversation where he explained why his schedule had so much meaning for him. I had to let go of my “perfect” plans for Saturday, but together we came up with a different plan that we both felt good about.

Of course part of me worried I was being too lenient or permissive. But one of my core values as a parent is wanting my son have someone who truly understands and accepts him for who he is — rigidity and all.

So while this approach created some anxiety for me, I chose to lean into it because it aligned with my values as a parent — and ultimately, that felt really good.

To get there, I had to lean on the same emotional health tools I teach other parents all the time

• noticing and reframing unhelpful thoughts
• calming my nervous system
• mindfulness and self-awareness
• taking values-aligned action

These are all skills I’ve been practicing for years because emotional health, much like physical health, is something that gets stronger through practice.

If you’d like to learn more about some of these tools, check out my new (work in progress) resources page - with guides on nervous system regulation, thought reframing, mindfulness, and emotional resilience.

Because parenting neurodivergent kids requires big-league emotional resilience.

If you'd like help navigating real-life parenting moments:

• New clients can schedule a free 30-minute consult through my scheduling page
• Existing clients can book sessions through the client scheduling page

Thanks for being here!

– Jenn