Today’s Parenting Win: No One Burned the House Down

This week did not come with a lesson. I found myself standing in the kitchen at 3 PM, completely dissociated. I was holding a spatula I don’t remember picking up.

I had planned to write a thoughtful blog post. A reflective one. A regulated one.

That plan was emotionally injured by Tuesday.

Turns out this week’s lesson wasn’t “calm in the chaos.”  It was “acceptance of the chaos.”  Which is just a fancy way of saying: I survived, and I’m not apologizing for how.

I know the tools. I teach them. I use them. And this week told me to sit down. I even tried my own “Let Go” meditation. It did not help. Turns out you can’t let go when you’re holding on for survival. So instead, here is a highly scientific list of Signs Your Nervous System Needs a Nap:

1. Everything feels loud. Including your own thoughts.
2. You sigh before answering yes-or-no questions. (That sigh really helps)
3. You love your kids deeply — and also need them to stop talking immediately.
4. You’ve answered ‘I don’t know’ to questions that definitely have answers.

Some days parenting looks like patience and wisdom. Other days it looks like toast for dinner and calling it “low-demand nourishment.”

And because I don’t just teach this, I live it, I took my own advice and reset. I slowed down. I stopped trying to be wise. I let this week be what it was.

Next week I might have wisdom. This week I have survival. And honestly? That counts.

This is exactly why I wrote The Calm Parent Reset.

Not to teach anyone how to be perfect. Not to give another “shoulds” list. But to remind myself and help others come back to themselves after weeks like this one, without the shame spiral.

The book isn’t about controlling your emotions. It’s about understanding them and learning what to do when you’re already overwhelmed.

It’s for parents who are doing their best while feeling emotionally depleted. Who’ve been in survival mode so long they forgot what regulated feels like. Who want calm, but need it to be realistic and actually doable.

I’m opening a small Advanced Reader group for parents who want early access to the book before it launches.

If you want in, just reply to this email with “YES, BOOK,” and I’ll add you to the list.

No commitment. No obligation to review. Just early access to something I hope helps.