Things I Wished I Knew When Raising a Child

One advantage, and probably the only, to having a child so young is that here I am in my early 40s enjoying the life of an empty nester while many of my friends are in the trenches of parenting. I see you mamas and know that you struggle. Raising kids is by far the most difficult thing you will ever do. It’s something that you do day in and day out whether your kids are right by your side or not, and newsflash; it doesn’t stop at 18. Add to it that every child, and every stage from newborn to adulthood is different, and there is no easy button to parenting. The good news is, there are things that make parenting a little bit easier and manageable.

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Here are the 4 things I wish I knew when raising a child:

1. You are what you eat. It sounds cliche yet it seems to be something that our culture has lost site of in recent decades. With so many “convenience foods” and fast food restaurants it’s easy to sacrifice diet and nutrition for ease. Artificial ingredients such as dyes and flavorings, sugars and caffeine will turn your sweet child into a monster. Not literally but I know we have all been there. Everything’s fine until it’s not and our child is suddenly a different person. The thing to ask yourself in these situations is: What changed? Is there a pattern or a trend to these behaviors? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched kids snack on chips, soda, sugary cereal or candy and BOOM they’re suddenly “out of control”, won’t sit still, are bouncing off the walls and have seemed to have forgotten what an inside voice is. It’s ok mama, we’ve ALL fed our kids these things at one point or another. What's important is to be aware of what affect certain foods have on our kids and then limit those things.

2. Ditch them toxins. They are making your child, you, your partner and anyone else living in your home sick. This one is a doozy as toxins are literally surrounding us. They’re in our water, food, personal care products (which we slather on our super absorbent skin!), they’re in our cleaning supplies, they’re sprayed on our clothes and furniture, and even in the air we breath. The key here is to limit the toxins that we can and not add toxins into our life that we don't have to. It doesn't have to be hard, and it doesn't have to happen all at once, you can start slow and switch out items as you use them up.

Here are just a few items that should be ditched:

o Toxic cleaning products: Unfortunately the things that are supposed to make our homes "clean" and therefore safer for us, are riddled with toxins. What if I told you that you could clean your house, car, truck, SUV, Boat, Camper, RV top to bottom, inside out with just one bottle that not only packs a punch when it comes to cleaning, but is also toxin free, smells great and won’t break the bank.

o Chemical latent Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener: The reason that these things matter is because they leave a film on our clothes that then rub on our skin almost 24/7. Our skin is our largest organ and is super absorbent. What goes on our skin can be found in our blood within minutes. Chemicals in our laundry detergent and fabric softener have been linked to Eczema, Psoriasis, Allergies, Asthma and even Cancer.

o Fragrances. Y’all aren’t going to like this one but, it’s a real game changer! “Fragrance” is a big red flag on any ingredient list and should be avoided at all costs. They are found in perfumes, lotions, hair care products, candles, plug-ins, wax warmers, room and body sprays, and so much more.

So what makes fragrances so dangerous? Fragrance is a blanket term that is considered “proprietary” which means that companies do not have to disclose the ingredients that make up the fragrance. Because of this loophole, companies are able to put ingredients in our products that have been banned!!!! Ingredients that have been linked to Asthma, Allergies, Migraines, Hormone Disruption (think Thyroid Disease, PMS, Infertility), neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, and yes, Cancer. It's disgusting really that companies would do this, but unfortunately for us, they do.

o Over-the-Counter Drugs. Yes, I’m going there, again and gonna knock the pHARMAceutical industry for pumping up us full of toxin latent drugs who’s side effects make us dependent on other drugs. Is there a time and place for modern medicine? ABSOLUTELY. Am I saying that diabetics should stop taking insulin or that other life saving drugs shouldn’t be administered? NO FREAKING WAY.

I am going to suggest though that you look for holistic remedies for your ailments that will help to heal your body instead of reaching for a pill that will mask the symptom and likely damage your internal organs. I’d also like to point out, that if you ditch them toxins, you’ll likely find yourself, and your children, less dependent on big pHARMA.

3. Essential oils work! I’m sure y’all thought I was going to put this on the top of my list, and maybe it should be there. Had I known 23 years ago what I know now about the power of essential oils, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble. Since incorporating oils into our

daily routine, my family has experienced less sick days (that alone is worth the investment), better quality of sleep, better mental health, less symptoms of allergies, fewer asthma flare ups and an overall a better quality of life #winning My only regret with jumping on this oily train is not starting it sooner.

4. Last but certainly not least, if mama ain’t alright, ain’t nobody alright. Take time for yourself and your own mental wellness. Parenting is tough business and it’s not selfish to take time away from your kids for you. Even 5 minutes of meditation or 10 seconds counting backwards can help your mind reset and help you to find the strength needed to tackle the hardest parenting moments.

I'd love to hear from you, what are your biggest parenting tips and tricks? What things did you wish you knew sooner