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About Melanie Lindsay

Melanie Lindsay is an Australian mum to 5 sun kissed children. She is a playful scribbler of words that aim to nourish the soul and inspire others to be the best version of themselves. She writes and researches on a wide range of topics including mindful parenting, minimalism, sustainable living, and businesses with social impact. When she’s not busy honouring her writing muse or playing with her kids, you’ll find her at the beach, exploring yoga, photography, or reading a damn good book….with a juicy mango in the other hand.

How to be More Present with Your Kids In Spite of Day-to-Day Busyness

by Melanie Lindsay.
(This article is part of the Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

How to be more present_Main Image_24746926The other day, my 8-year-old daughter paused mid-conversation and said “Mummy, I wish we were always on the same map together.”

Clearly, I had been missing something while we were chatting.

We had been casually discussing ideas for her upcoming birthday party, when she mentioned the sorts of things that other parents do for their kids’ birthday celebrations.

Some were too extreme (jelly wrestling, anyone?). Others were a bit too risky for my personal liking (Go Kart racing, just for starters). And others fell firmly into the “Sorry honey, but it just costs too much” basket…aka, backseat limousine parties.

Clearly I missed the memo that we were at the age when the backyard ‘sausage rolls and musical chairs’ parties were being phased out.

But there was something else I clearly missed, too. Because somewhere along the way, the wires between trying to be a communicative, ‘open to suggestions’ parent and a ‘this is how we do it’ parent had got rather tangled.

[Read more…]

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