Parent Tapestry

06/30/2026

I rarely do this but I need to hop up on my soapbox for a moment.

Perhaps it is just me, but I am really bothered by the trend of people posting videos of their children crying for various reasons. From where I sit, there are three main reasons why someone would post a video like this:

1. To make fun of their child. Their child is having a tantrum (which, let's be honest, often makes a child appear irrational). Posting the video on the internet means the child is now able to be laughed at and judged FOREVER because of a tough moment. How do you think they will feel at school or baseball practice the next day when everyone they know pokes fun at them? Do you think the average person would appreciate having one of their worst moments recorded and posted for all to see for all time? I'm guessing not. Let's give children the same courtesy.

2. A child cries genuine tears of surprise or gratitude because they've been surprised with a gift--a new puppy, a new baseball bat, a new pair of shoes. Good people, please don't be tacky and exploit your child's emotions to fill your own bucket by posting for likes. Let your child's genuine response (in private) be enough of a thank you for your gesture. I guarantee there are generations of parents whose generous gestures were never seen by the masses and yet their children can/could tenderly recall those gifts. That's what matters.

3. Some individuals have simply lost the ability to recognize that some moments are meant to be private and sacred. Text a few friends if you really want some others to see a video you've captured of your child. Your hundreds of Facebook friends (or perhaps the entirety of the Internet) really haven't earned the right to be present in your living room while your child cries happy tears about their new Jordans (or whatever it is they were happy to receive).

Several years ago, there was an acronym that gained some popularity in regards to posting on social media. It was primarily meant for kids and teens, I believe. That said, I think its a good reminder for adults, too. The advice is to THINK before you post by asking yourself:
Is it TRUE?
Is it HELPFUL?
Is it INSPIRING?
Is it NECESSARY?
Is it KIND?

I still ask myself these questions and much of the time, I choose not to post because I can't answer each of these questions wholeheartedly.

I'm not saying people can't choose to post moments of/with their children. I guess I am simply encouraging people to consider their motivation, as well as the impact, of what they post. When it comes to what you post of your children, THINK, please.

Just like I am incredibly grateful there aren't recordings of my childhood tantrums to be shared on the Internet for all to see, I have to believe that your children will be grateful one day that you chose not to expose their private/vulnerable moments. Just because we have the ability to record and post 24/7 doesn't mean we have to.

Thanks for pulling up a chair. Stepping back down to the ground now.

06/09/2026

Love this! Great ideas for how a little planning ahead on our parts as parents can help decrease the appeal of too much summer screentime for our kids. How fun to see this kind of creativity!

05/30/2026

You: “So, why would I want to work with a Parenting Coach?”

Me: “I’m so glad you asked. Let me explain.”

I recently told someone that my work as a Parenting Coach feels similar to the work of a Physical Therapist. Here’s what I mean.

When you get a referral to physical therapy, it’s because there is a part of your body that isn’t functioning at its best. Whether due to age, injury or some other malady, your ankle, let’s say, isn’t performing at full strength. A physical therapist’s job is to size up the situation at the onset of meeting with you. This could involve looking at an x-ray, hearing your symptoms, watching you walk/bend/jump/squat, showing you some stretches, giving you some homework (i.e. exercises to do outside of your appointment with them), and checking in within a reasonable time later to see what progress you’ve made. The PT can’t do the stretches for you, that’s up to you. But based on your current age, mobility and pain, as well as your needs and hopes for your physical ability moving forward, the physical therapist comes up with a reasonable plan of treatment. They want to meet with you long enough to give you some help and healing but ultimately they want you to learn how to tend to and move your body in such a way that you will no longer be in pain.

My desire as a parent coach is to help parents address those painful ankles, so to speak. Those parts of parenting that feel a little tricky or painful but that they believe could feel better/easier/less prickly. By asking questions, listening and offering a new perspective (including incorporating research on child development), my hope is that those parts of parenting that feel “injured” could eventually feel “healed” or at least, neutral. Perhaps even great.

If there are parts of your parenting that feel a little sore, I encourage you to reach out for a 20 minute chat. Just like a wounded ankle, sometimes a new stretch or strategy can make all the difference between walking with a limp and walking confidently. I’d love to be a part of helping you figure out how to walk forward with confidence.

Oh, and I promise I won’t make you do any lunges or squats in the process!

05/26/2026

Incredibly excited to share that I now have a website!

As I'm nearing finishing up my eighth year of working as a Parent Educator, I'm look forward to pursuing more individualized parent coaching through my LLC, Parent Tapestry. I’m not going anywhere from my school job but I’m excited to offer parenting support to more families, especially during the summer months.

If you know anyone who might benefit from parent coaching, I’d appreciate you sharing this with them!

A real person to talk to. About your actual kid. I help parents feel more confident and equipped to parent their children. Admittedly, I am not as flashy as a TikTok parenting influencer. That said, I’ve worked with hundreds of families and I’m excited to partner with you as you seek to parent f...

04/07/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/parenttapestry/p/the-value-of-staying-ahead-of-certain?r=6ossza&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I’ve been quiet here for a bit.

11/02/2025

Each week, I write a summary of the topic of my ECFE classes. I have decided to start expanding some of these thoughts and putting them into a newsletter on Substack. Today, I wrote down some reminders about Daylight Savings Time--especially for those of you with children. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out!

Thanks for reading!