This was such an honest and grounding read. The way you described the cycle of guilt,feeling like no matter what choice we make, something gets sacrificed, really resonated with me. I think so many of us forget that guilt often shows up not because we’re failing, but because we care deeply.
Your reminder that “good enough really is enough” is powerful. It takes the pressure off chasing some impossible ideal of parenthood and brings it back to presence, love, and connection. That’s what our kids actually remember.
Thank you for writing this, it felt like a permission slip to breathe and let go of the constant second-guessing. 💛
It was truly my pleasure and somewhat therapeutic. I think we as parents all need a gentle reminder that we are doing the best we can and that is enough❤️
I am pretty sure I was nodding along for the entire article, Shannon. I really appreciate how you’ve framed guilt as programming rather than proof of love. That distinction alone has the potential to free so many parents from cycles that feel inescapable.
In my own work, I see over and over how those “scripts” you describe are laid down early, through emotionally charged experiences that taught us our needs were negotiable or unsafe. What I love about your writing here is how you name guilt as a trap without demonizing it. You show how it was once protective, but is no longer aligned.
The way you connect this back to what kids learn from is spot on ("And kids notice. They learn more from how you live than what you say.) They absorb not only how we show them love, but how we show ourselves love.
Breaking the cycle doesn’t just change our lives, it rewires what’s possible for theirs too.
So glad this post resonated with you and also reflects what you see in your work! Could agree more with your final statement…breaking the cycle benefits both the parent and child.
This was such an honest and grounding read. The way you described the cycle of guilt,feeling like no matter what choice we make, something gets sacrificed, really resonated with me. I think so many of us forget that guilt often shows up not because we’re failing, but because we care deeply.
Your reminder that “good enough really is enough” is powerful. It takes the pressure off chasing some impossible ideal of parenthood and brings it back to presence, love, and connection. That’s what our kids actually remember.
Thank you for writing this, it felt like a permission slip to breathe and let go of the constant second-guessing. 💛
It was truly my pleasure and somewhat therapeutic. I think we as parents all need a gentle reminder that we are doing the best we can and that is enough❤️
I am pretty sure I was nodding along for the entire article, Shannon. I really appreciate how you’ve framed guilt as programming rather than proof of love. That distinction alone has the potential to free so many parents from cycles that feel inescapable.
In my own work, I see over and over how those “scripts” you describe are laid down early, through emotionally charged experiences that taught us our needs were negotiable or unsafe. What I love about your writing here is how you name guilt as a trap without demonizing it. You show how it was once protective, but is no longer aligned.
The way you connect this back to what kids learn from is spot on ("And kids notice. They learn more from how you live than what you say.) They absorb not only how we show them love, but how we show ourselves love.
Breaking the cycle doesn’t just change our lives, it rewires what’s possible for theirs too.
Thank you for sharing this, it’s powerful.
So glad this post resonated with you and also reflects what you see in your work! Could agree more with your final statement…breaking the cycle benefits both the parent and child.