Nurturing

Nurturing
By: Cheryl Taylor

I would like to dedicate this to all who struggle on a daily basis to recover from their own childhood.

From the way I grew up, I'm not sure which of the following is more difficult; raising my son or learning to raise that part of me that is still a child. With my son, I have gone on instinct and valuable input from my partner. It looks like we have done okay; Mike is healthy, bright funny, compassionate and your average teenager who feels he knows everything. We have encouraged him to participate in every positive experience that came his way. Everyday when I look at him, I am just so amazed at what a blessing he is to us.

Below are methods I have used to get Mike to the point he is at now and try to apply them to nurture myself.
1. Unconditional love for your child.
2. Teach them how to cope in the real world, life
skills are a necessity.
3. Know that they will make mistakes.
4. Let them fall, but thru example, show them how to > get back up.
5. Be supportive, even when you don't see eye to eye.
6. Be prepared to let them grow up.
7. Have them strive to be all they can be ( for themselves, not you).
8. Instill understanding and compassion.
9. Thru their growth and struggle to become independent, know that they will come back to you.

Gee, don't I sound like I have all the answers? Well trust me I don't. I struggle day to day, everything I have listed just happens to be the opposite of what was provided for my sister and I as children.

This article is not meant to preach or be a cure all, it only represents my experiences. The most difficult part is learning to treat myself as well as I do my son.

Cheryl Taylor is a 41-year-old survivor of emotional and physical abandonment. She lives in New Hampshire with her partner of 19 years and her son. She has spent the past 15 years working on issues to improve her way of thinking and quality of life. While a somewhat slow process, she refuses to give up. She loves animals, intelligent conversation, music and whatever makes her laugh.

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