I’m recently back from giving a workshop and keynote for the Walla Walla Early Learning Coalition. I loved sharing my ideas for how the business community can create far better support for new parents. And I loved giving childcare providers and teachers a simple way of interacting with kids that builds sincere self-confidence.

​Today I have a few recommendations for you along similar lines:

Like a Mother

I recently picked up “Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy” by fellow Seattle writer Angela Garbes. Highly recommend if …

If you lost a pregnancy and felt utterly disoriented by the experience.
If you felt uncared for in small or large ways during labor.
If you have only a vague idea of what the placenta is but would like to know what was actually going on in your body there.
Ditto the pelvic floor.
If you had an idea that breastfeeding was good but nobody really explained why.
If you need to hear that, whatever you experienced during pregnancy, delivery, and the days after, it was normal. All of it, despite so many cultural messages to the contrary, is normal. You are normal.

I appreciated most everything Garbes had to say, even though my pregnancy was seven years ago. And I enjoyed the way she said it. Garbes’ style is down-to-earth, real real real, with a sense of humor. She also has a poignant way of capturing universal moments, such as this:

When we brought our daughter home, she was all soft and squishy parts, as well as transparent desires. She was small, but her presence was huge. She brought both tremendous peace and disruption to our life. The forces came like a typhoon, wave after wave, alternately baptizing and wrecking us.

Amen, sister.

Ask for More

A career-transformation coach I know is hosting a series of interviews called “Ask for More.” I think women intuitively get what that phrase means (my husband was confused). It’s about giving ourselves permission to go for the things we want for ourselves and our lives.

Yesterday I watched one of the interviews, and I dug something speaker Tonia Winchester said. She said she used to think that asking for more was “the wishing, wanting, hoping, praying, you know, vision boarding. I’m going to write down what I want and that’s me asking for it.

“But that’s not going to give you the same rewards as actually taking the step toward the thing. So I think now asking for more is when we actually get out of our own way and take a step in the right direction. [Physically, experientially taking an action; not just letting it turn over and over in your mind.] And when you take that step, that’s asking the universe for more. It’s saying, Hey, I’m willing to show up, I’m willing to be courageous and be bold and work toward something.”

Amen, sister.

I was interviewed for this series as well, to talk about asking for more from a parenting perspective. I touch on:

My interview airs sometime in the next two weeks; not sure when. You can sign up for the Ask for More series here to get an email notification.

(If you’re looking for one way to build self-confidence in your kids right now, I offer an hour-long online course on growth mindset.​​)

Zero to Five audiobook on sale

Need a gift? Of course you do. My parenting book, Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science (and What I’ve Learned So Far), was beautifully recorded by the award-winning Xe Sands. The audiobook is 60% off at Libro.fm right now.

Libro is the indie audiobook store. I love that they’re helping independent bookstores capture some of the growing audiobook market by giving them a cut.

You can gift a book or a membership. Or get one for yourself. (My word, every year I go shopping for Christmas presents and come back with a bunch of stuff for myself….)

Quote of the holidays

G, age 6: “This cranberry sauce isn’t from a can, but it’s still pretty good.”

#gladIcooked

Hope your holidays are pretty good, too!

Love,
Tracy

Written by

Tracy Cutchlow

Tracy is the author of the international bestseller Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science, a public speaker, and a creator of places to speak and be heard. Sign up for her newsletter here.