ON GUARD! Cassandra had two adorable children, Mark (4) and Antonia (2). She came to see me because, in her extended family, the children were expected to regularly spend a weekend with the Grandparents. Her Mother-in-Law had established this norm early with other members of the family and she was not impressed that Cassandra’s children […]

  First, a quote from Roseanne Barr: “Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself!” Not all of us might want to embrace that “devil may care” aspect of PMS but we can also remember that we have more neural connections […]

    We would rarely accept a demon as a side order for something we want but sometimes that is exactly what we order.  I recently attended the Birthday of a young friend and found myself surrounded by MANY beautiful young 20 somethings! Coming from an era where grooming was constituted by nail polish and […]

Here is Gail’s story: “The kids next door are always in my house. They are mean to my youngest boy and won’t let him join the games. This results in constant fights and tears. My neighbour spends a lot of time on the internet and the kids just drift over. She also sends them when […]

Worry is not a gift, it is a way to curse your child. Here is why: Remember the tale of Sleeping Beauty? The little baby is given two good wishes by two good fairies and then cursed with death by a bad fairy (Maleficent). After this the smallest good fairy gives the baby a healing […]

“Mother eaten alive by endless tasks!” could be a news headline any day of the week in the 21st Century.  Historical analysis will certainly reflect on the frantic nature of our time and on the damage manic living did to mothers and small children.    Unfortunately, just as no-one remembers the mass of Victorian women bedridden […]

DANGEROUS MESSAGES If you  were shamed, put-down or ridiculed as a child when you tried to learn you learned to avoid learning. Ridicule  makes learning feel unsafe. Once we have experienced learning as dangerous our capacity to become powerful is damaged. “Stupid. Dumb. Retard.”  Some of us heard these words as we grew.  Maybe your report […]

You don’t get to “pick” the life you get. Okay, some  folk say you do in some ethereal zone somewhere, but we are talking about day-to-day physical life here. Your life.  Some people get born into a loving family with lots of resources and support and others start with a lot of suffering, negative experiences […]

Gibran said, “Your daily life is your temple.” For women I would extend that to saying, “YOU are your temple,” and self care is the doorway to your inner space.  In a world where women are tasked with tending  the needs of others few remember that it is the woman’s own self that is the […]