Ep #21: Releasing Mama Bear

Have you ever taken issue with the way another adult has interacted with your child? Maybe it was their teacher, their soccer coach, their grandmother... Maybe it was an issue of consent, or maybe the adult was disrespectful or leaning hard on shame as a means of control... There are so many situations, especially when parenting against the grain and parenting a highly sensitive child, that can get our hackles up as parents.And that's what I want to talk about today - those moments when our hackles rise, and we find ourselves thinking I need to DO something, this is NOT RIGHT.You know that sensation, right? Where the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? That is a fight or flight response.That means that in those moments, you are likely to do one of three things: react big, freeze, or scoop up your kid and get the hell out of there.When it comes to parenting and advocating for our kids, one of these three responses is elevated above the others.Think about all those Mama Bears out there... All those parents - because let's be real, Dad's can jump into action for their kids, too! - who are ready to throw down for their kids. It's almost become a badge of honor, what with all the Mama Bear t-shirts and paraphernalia out there.Culturally, we've come to value taking a stand for our kids. We've come to value advocacy and speaking up. At least more than we used to.But it's time to release the Mama Bear metaphor, and I'll tell you why.--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/julia-mcgarey/support Get full access to The Blackbird Chronicles at juliamcgarey.substack.com/subscribe This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit partneredpathparenting.substack.com