Showing up for our kids seems simple enough, right?

Showing up means more than just your physical presence in a room. Showing up for your child is about the quality of your presence. Showing up means connection and attention–putting your phone down while your child is on the playground, taking advantage of every second of the three minutes your child engages with you about their day. 

Showing up is about making sure our kids feel soothed, safe, seen, and secure.

And the research on child development clearly demonstrates that one of the very best predictors for how any child turns out–in terms of happiness, social and emotional development, leadership skills, meaningful relationships, even academic and career success–is whether they developed security from having at least one person who showed up for them.

Across cultures and around the globe, these studies reveal a universal finding about how we can parent well, if not flawlessly. 

Today’s campfire guest is mama bear, Michelle.

Michelle is a Latinx cisgender woman and mother of three. She and her husband, who is white, live in suburbia with their youngest child. Their oldest child is off conquering the world, and their middle child died in late 2020 by suicide. We’re going to be talking much more about how Michelle chose to show up for her kids and what that has meant for them and for her entire family. 

Content warning for discussion of suicide.

Check out the full episode to hear about:

• How Michelle showed up for her kids with listening, regularly acknowledging she didn’t have all the answers, non-judgment, and accountability
• Why you need to know when your kids are most open to conversation, whether it’s face to face, in the car, or outdoors
• Why Michelle says being able to laugh at ourselves is a key lesson to model for our kids 

Find out more about Mackenzie Dunham:

• Wildheartsociety.org
• wildheartsociety.org/downloads
• Wild Heart Society on Facebook
• Wild Heart Society on Instagram

Resources:

• The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired, Tina Payne Bryson and Daniel J. Siegel