In this episode of the Aware Parenting Podcast, which is part of the Foundations of Aware Parenting series, I discuss separation anxiety.

I delve into the history and current usage of the term and I contrast Aware Parenting's understanding of separation anxiety with Classical Attachment Parenting's understanding.

I explore various causes of separation anxiety, including developmental stages, a need for safety, accumulated feelings, past unhealed separation trauma, and the parent's own past unhealed separation trauma.

I also emphasise the effect of cultural beliefs on the understanding of separation anxiety and, as always, I offer lots of compassion to parents and children who are experiencing separation anxiety.

I provide practical suggestions, such as the use of separation games and listening to crying and raging, to help both parents and children experience more connection, safety, and healing.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Aware Parenting

00:26 Understanding Separation Anxiety

02:24 Cultural influences on Parenting

06:52 Causes of, and Responses to, Separation Anxiety

25:59 Healing Through Separation Games

40:10 The Influence of a Parent's own Separation Trauma

41:53 Conclusion and Resources

If you want to learn more about separation anxiety, I wrote a free ebook, which you can access here: https://marion-rose.myflodesk.com/gfm8bc3qf5

I also recommend reading these books by Aletha Solter, PhD.:

Cooperative and Connected

Healing Your Traumatized Child

Tears and Tantrums

The Aware Baby

And these books by me:

I'm Here and I'm Listening

The Emotional Life of Babies

All of Your Feelings are Welcome

If you want to learn more about separation games, one of the nine types of attachment play, you might feel called to do my Attachment Play Course, which you can find here:

http://www.attachmentplaycourses.com/join-in

I'm also creating a mini course on separation anxiety. You'll be able to find that on my website.

You can find out more about my work at www.marionrose.net and my books at: https://marionrose.net/books/

You can also find me here:

https://www.instagram.com/theawareparentingpodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/_marion_rose_/

https://www.instagram.com/awareparenting/

www.facebook.com/MarionRosePhD

In this episode, which is the second in my series of the foundations of Aware Parenting, I talk about helping children cooperate with toothbrushing.

I share about my own journey with my teeth and mouth, and how I passed down some of that trauma to my children, and how that affected their willingness with toothbrushing.

I talk about the three reasons why children may not be willing to cooperate with toothbrushing, including trauma related to their mouths, and what we can do to tend to each of those three reasons.

I offer suggestions for how to respond to each of those three reasons, including attachment play suggestions.

Here's the link for my Helping Your Child Cooperate with Toothbrushing Mini Course: https://marionrose.samcart.com/products/helping-your-child-cooperate-with-toothbrushing-mini-course

If you want to learn more about attachment play, I highly recommend 'Attachment Play' by Aletha Solter, PhD, and my Attachment Play Course: http://www.attachmentplaycourses.com/join-in

You can find out more about my work at www.marionrose.net and my books at: https://marionrose.net/books/

You can also find me here:

https://www.instagram.com/theawareparentingpodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/_marion_rose_/

https://www.instagram.com/awareparenting/

www.facebook.com/MarionRosePhD

In this episode, I talk with Alex Letham, who is the mother of a 12 year old son, Miles.

Alex did my Attachment Play Course 10 years ago, when I first created it, and I still share her testimonial and the games she and Miles made up, all these years later.

In the episode, Alex shares about the conversation where she asked about tantrums and her dear friend shared about Aware Parenting.

Then we had a lovely conversation about attachment play.

Alex talks about her grandmother has an incredible ability to play with children, and until learning about attachment play, she didn't think she'd also be able to do that.

We talk about how Aware Parenting supports children, parents, and the relationship between the two throughout the tween and teen years.

Alex shares about how attachment play helped her son prepare for some surgeries he had, as well as for healing afterwards. She also explains how Miles healed from fear he felt before performances playing the trumpet using attachment play and listening to feelings.

She also talks about how doing attachment play helped Miles be willing to eat more vegetables, but also how important it is to not use attachment play to try to get children to do what we want them to. She gives an example of how she trusted his food choices.

We also talk about how helpful attachment play is for children and teens learning new things, and how both nonsense play and power-reversal games are so helpful.

Alex shares about the power of attachment play when tweens are going through adolescence. She also offers games to play for when we're feeling exhausted, and also for when our big feelings are starting to bubble up.

If you want to find out more about attachment play, I highly recommend reading Aletha Solter, PhD's book 'Attachment Play": http://www.awareparenting.com/attachmentplay.html

If you want to find out more about my Attachment Play Course, you can do that here: http://www.attachmentplaycourses.com/join-in

You can find out more about my work at www.marionrose.net and my books at: https://marionrose.net/books/

You can also find me here:

https://www.instagram.com/theawareparentingpodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/_marion_rose_/

https://www.instagram.com/awareparenting/

www.facebook.com/MarionRosePhD

In this episode, I'm delighted to welcome Dr. Jessica Klug, who is a Clinical Psychologist and an Aware Parenting instructor.

Jess shares her journey of being deeply passionate about understanding parenting. Her doctoral research was on the impact of parental exposure to to traumatic and stressful life events on parenting practices and child psychological wellbeing and outcomes.

Then she became a mother, and realised that none of the parenting practices she was seeing around her resonated with her instincts as a mother, nor her training in developmental psychology.

She shares about how she found out about Aware Parenting, and how it was like coming home to an approach that was in tune with all of her values.

Jess talks about the research into the long-term effects of parenting paradigms, and how in alignment Aware Parenting is with deeply helpful outcomes. She also talks about how enjoyable practicing Aware Parenting can be.

She also shares about the repair that can happen with our children, whenever we first start Aware Parenting, and whatever ruptures we might have experienced. Jess shares a beautiful memory about listening to her son's feelings as she held him in her arms when he was a baby, and how healing that was for her daughter, who hadn't experienced that listening at that age, and how healing it was for her too.

She also brings in the importance of doing our own inner work as parents in order to be able to parent in this way.

Jess shares about her vision for Aware Parenting, and why Aware Parenting is about so much more than parenting!

You can connect with Jess via her Instagram account, which is: https://www.instagram.com/drjklug/

You can find out more about my work at www.marionrose.net and my books at: https://marionrose.net/books/

You can also find me here:

https://www.instagram.com/theawareparentingpodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/_marion_rose_/

https://www.instagram.com/awareparenting/

www.facebook.com/MarionRosePhD

I'm so delighted to welcome Meg Rankin on to the podcast.

Meg has been a Social Worker for 20 years, and still works in a tertiary hospital setting. She also has her own business offering Aware Parenting support, general counselling, birth debriefing, and supervision for care and health professionals. She also offers women's circles and mother blessings.

Meg shares about how she'd known about Aware Parenting a long time before becoming a parent herself, because of being immersed in the parenting world in her work.

Meg read The Aware Baby by Aletha Solter, PhD, and it changed the trajectory of her life. She talks about how Aware Parenting resonated deeply with her.

Meg talks about the big journey from understanding and starting to listen to a baby's uncomfortable feelings whilst they cry in arms, to really diving deep into presence and attunement whilst listening to those feelings.

We discuss the three different types of embodied experience that are so important for parents to go through in order to feel more comfortable with listening to their child's healing crying.

Meg shares about her own journey to dive deeply into having an Aware Parenting community.

We talk about the difference between dissociation and deep relaxation, and Meg shares how the penny dropped for her when she saw how deeply relaxed her daughter was after sharing her big feelings in Meg's loving arms.

Meg shares about how the seed to become an instructor was planted, and also shares her experience of how supportive all the Aware Parenting instructors are of each other.

Meg also talks about her understanding gathered through all the work she's done with women with drug and alcohol use, and the process of feeling pain that the control patterns have suppressed.

You can find out more about Meg and her offerings at: https://www.instagram.com/meg.rankin.counselling/ and https://www.megrankin.com.au/

In this short episode, I invite you to join me in my celebrations of 20 years as an Aware Parenting instructor!

I'm so grateful to Aletha Solter, PhD, for creating Aware Parenting, and for her ongoing guidance and support.

Thank you to everyone who has ever read any of my posts, listened to any of my podcast episodes, done any of my courses or trainings, come to any of my workshops, read any of my books, or had mentoring sessions with me.

I love Aware Parenting, and I am so thankful for all the people I've met along the journey!

Here's to another 20, 30, 40, 50 years as an Aware Parenting instructor, sharing this beautiful work with the world!

If you're wanting to join my list as I share about all the offerings I will be offering to celebrate these 20 years, the link is here: https://marion-rose.myflodesk.com/htug7k7ruy

Big love!

You can find out more about my work at www.marionrose.net and my books at: https://marionrose.net/books/

You can also find me here:

https://www.instagram.com/theawareparentingpodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/_marion_rose_/

https://www.instagram.com/awareparenting/

www.facebook.com/MarionRosePhD

I'm so delighted to welcome on to the podcast Daniela Ekman, who is an Aware Parenting instructor and birthkeeper.

Daniela shares about how she uses a lot of ancestral traditions and wisdom from South America in her work as a birthkeeper. She is from Venezuela.

Daniela shares about her calling to become a birthkeeper, and the deep connection that she has with babies. This deep connection with babies is also what called her to become an Aware Parenting instructor.

She shares about how much babies are affected by their experiences.

We talk about how Aware Parenting helps babies stay connected with their innate presence.

Daniela shares about experiences of reading my Inner Loving Presence cards, and how she feels when she does.

She also talks about how she came across Aware Parenting when her first daughter was eight months old, when she was waking up many times at night. She shares about all the painful feelings and thoughts that she had when her daughter started to cry, before she found Aware Parenting.

Daniela shares about how she could see the changes in her daughter almost immediately after starting to practice Aware Parenting. She was more relaxed and slept for longer periods.

Daniela also shares how transformative Aware Parenting has been for her, such as in how she relates to crying and all feelings.

She also explains the differences she experienced in practicing Aware Parenting from when her first daughter was 8 months old, and with her second daughter from birth.

This includes how healing it has been for her first daughter, seeing Daniela listening to her sister's feelings as a baby.

Daniela talks about how she first decided that she wanted to become an Aware Parenting instructor.

We talk about how palpable the difference is when a baby or toddler has been brought up with Aware Parenting (whilst also reminding listeners that it's never too late to start!)

She shares about what she observes in the families she works with, and in the Aware Parenting playgroup that she facilitates.

We also share together about the effects of community support such as mother and baby groups and playgroups, and what a difference it makes when practicing Aware Parenting.

We also talk about how being an Aware Parenting instructor is a continual learning journey.

You can find Daniela at:

https://www.instagram.com/prema.birthkeeper/

https://www.instagram.com/soma.shakti/

https://premabirthkeeper.com.au/

You can find out more about my work at www.marionrose.net and my books at: https://marionrose.net/books/

You can also find me here:

https://www.instagram.com/theawareparentingpodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/_marion_rose_/

https://www.instagram.com/awareparenting/

www.facebook.com/MarionRosePhD

If you want to find out more about becoming an Aware Parenting instructor in Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia, or about my 1:1 Aware Parenting Instructor Mentoring, send me a message on my socials, or email me at [email protected]

I'm so delighted that Carly Facius has returned to the podcast for the 6th time. She was also on episodes 149, 154, 159, 199, and 202.

Carly is a mother of three, Registered Midwife, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, holds a Master of Primary Maternity Care, and is an Aware Parenting instructor.

Carly shares about the very beginning of her journey to becoming an Aware Parenting instructor, which was when her Mum asked her to watch her brother, who would hold his breath. This was the beginning of her long journey of deeply observing babies.

She was also deeply influenced by her mum, who was a midwife, and all the conversations about birth that she had with her mum whilst growing up.

Carly shares about her experience travelling the world, and how that helped her later journey, including as an Aware Parenting instructor, and then about her experiences training to be a midwife.

We talk about how parents are taught to respond to babies, and what a powerful effect that that can have.

Carly shares about how observing how people in Indonesia talk to babies also had a powerful effect on her.

We also talk about our shared experience of presence with our babies.

Carly talks about how Aware Parenting has helped her to get to know herself in ways that she didn't before, and how it's been an important part of her becoming herself.

We also talk about how our own parenting experiences are so key in our journey as Aware Parenting instructors.

Carly says "becoming an Aware Parenting instructor is an investment in your journey to becoming yourself."

You can find Carly and her work at www.seedpodfamilies.com or at https://www.instagram.com/seed_pod_/

You can find out more about my work at www.marionrose.net and my books at: https://marionrose.net/books/

You can also find me here:

https://www.instagram.com/theawareparentingpodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/_marion_rose_/

https://www.instagram.com/awareparenting/

www.facebook.com/MarionRosePhD

If you want support in your journey to becoming an Aware Parenting instructor, and you live in Australia, New Zealand, or Indonesia, or a country without a regional coordinator, I invite you to contact me on my social media or email me at [email protected]

In this episode, I welcome back Nic Wilson, who was also in the last episode.

This marks the return to talking about Aware Parenting, and is the first episode in a mini-series about people's journeys to become Aware Parenting instructors.

Please note that Nic shares about going through a very tough time of three years of her daughter waking up every 45 minutes and feeling desperate and in her own words, "very low".

Nic then talks about coming to Aware Parenting, how much it resonated, and the transformation it has brought to her and her daughter, who is now 11.

Because Aware Parenting was so life-changing and life-saving for her, she knew that this is what she wanted to offer other parents.

Nic shares about starting my Aware Parenting Instructor Mentoring Course, and then the amazing synchronicity that happened!

Nic also talks about doing 1:1 Aware Parenting Instructor Mentoring with me, and the process she went through to start posting on Instagram.

She also explains how connected she and her daughter are, and gives tangible examples of this.

We talk about how much we both love waking up and creating posts or doing other things to share Aware Parenting.

Nic offers 1:1 mentoring, as well as her Surviving School with Aware Parenting and The Marion Method Course, amongst other courses.

You can find her on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/peacefulparenting/

and on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/PeacefulParenting.com.au

Her website is at:

https://peacefulparenting.com.au/

You can find out more about my work at www.marionrose.net and my books at: https://marionrose.net/books/

You can also find me here:

https://www.instagram.com/theawareparentingpodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/_marion_rose_/

https://www.instagram.com/awareparenting/

www.facebook.com/MarionRosePhD

If you're interested in doing my Aware Parenting Instructor Mentoring Course or 1:1 Aware Parenting Instructor Mentoring, I invite you to send me a message on social media or email me at [email protected]

This is the last episode in the series about reparenting with The Marion Method.

In this episode, I welcome Nic Wilson, who is a Marion Method Mentor and Aware Parenting instructor.

Nic shares about how she first came to The Marion Method 7 years ago, in a 1:1 willingness mentoring session with me.

She talks about the power of reparenting with The Marion Method, including how our relationships with our Inner Loving Presences can often result in our outer relationships changing.

Nic also shares about how her life has changed through the will and willingness work, and how she uses Psychospiritual Entrepreneurship, such as in posting on social media.

Nic offers 1:1 mentoring, as well as her Surviving School with Aware Parenting and The Marion Method Course, amongst other courses.

You can find her on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/peacefulparenting/

and on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/PeacefulParenting.com.au

Her website is at:

https://peacefulparenting.com.au/

If you want to learn more about The Marion Method, you can do so on my Psychospiritual Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-psychospiritual-podcast/id1344385341

You can find out more about my work at www.marionrose.net and my books at: https://marionrose.net/books/

You can also find me here:

https://www.instagram.com/theawareparentingpodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/_marion_rose_/

https://www.instagram.com/awareparenting/

www.facebook.com/MarionRosePhD