My son doesn't say too many words. Nor do many other kids with autism. It is a struggle in daily life. It is also a struggle when it seems to impede a parents ability to help the child. This is my story and how we are working with what seems to be a limitation.

It's hard not to miss everything and everyone telling us that we are not enough. It's everywhere, but we also add to it. It is beneficial if we can take a step back and really define what we want. What success is and make sure it is something we can control. Also consider how you act after beating yourself up versus being nice to yourself. Chances are you are more aligned with your goals when you are nice to yourself.

In this episode Gina shares a confession. She got off the happy authentic parenting wagon this spring. It wasn't fun. She felt guilty. Tired. And worn out. She shares how she worked her way back. How she will probably need to work her way back again and again, because we are all human. Once you complete coming back also don't forget to forgive yourself, love yourself and learn from what happened. Our existence is not one of pure happiness, but of experience and one that includes lots of learning opportunities.

In this episode Gina shares experience of something that triggered her in parenting for a long time. She tried counseling, mindfulness, gratitude journals, regular exercise- you name it. However, it wasn't until months later that she connected the two. The event that was triggering her in parenting was a core belief. One she had had since childhood. It was after recognizing how deep this belief was and taking the time to work through it that the trigger seemed almost disappear. This episode is about self discovery. It is about what we make events in our life mean and how they can affect us for years after. If you have something in your life that is constantly triggering you perhaps listen and see if you can have discover anything for yourself as well.

Have you ever had a bad day and the universe proved you right? Did you know that the bad day probably started in your head?

As humans we like to focus on the negative. It's easy and it's everywhere. But perhaps the negative appears everywhere because that is what we focus on.

Have you ever tried focusing on the positive? Instead of telling yourself it is going to be a bad day, try telling yourself you are going to rock this day? Try it and see if the universe proves you right on that one. 

In this episode Gina shares a recent experience where she was very much human for a day. She told herself she was going to have a bad day and proved herself right.

Do you think you can? Or do you think you cannot? Last week we talked in general about words and the pain they might relate to others. This week we want to take it to another level and consider what your words mean to you. Are they inspiring action? Or are they inspiring grief and inaction? Just as you may have the thought about completing or failing at a difficult task, you have these same types of thoughts every day. You might feel like a failure at parenting. You might feel exhausted. You might feel like a bad mom. The thing is that when we think these thoughts... we often live them. For example thinking you are a bad mom and then two seconds later yelling at your kids. This versus thinking you are doing the best you can and concentrating on what you love about your kids then acting on that instead of yelling. Let's start making your thoughts work for you.

Words. Communication. It happens all day long and we participate in form or another. But what do they really mean? What do our words really mean? Do we mean what we say? Do we mean what our body says? Gina has a son with non verbal communication and used to stress over the fact that she might not ever hear the words 'I love you' until one day she realized that her son was saying it. In other ways. Words can help or harm. They can uplift or degrade. And don't forget the non-verbal communication. What are you saying with your words?

In this episode Gina shares personal experiences about herself and others where they have tried to control another person and it did not work. She shares tips about taking a step back and going with the flow, working with the situation instead of fighting it. It is when we do this that we are able to see those other options that actually work much better instead of trying to control others. If you are like most other parents with a child, this is just the beginning of learning how to handle those tough parenting moments. Tantrum anyone?

Remembering to focus on what really matters in parenting can be hard! It is so easy to get caught up in the messes and tasks! Join us for a little story about turmeric, enjoy the fact that my kitchen floor is yello and not yours and lets get back to parenting basics.

Gina Baker is a parent of a child with autism and life coach. Having dealt with her own depression and struggles she developed the Genius Parenting Podcast to help reach out to other parents also struggling in the uncharted territory of autism and other special needs. In this podcast Gina shares her story of a rocky start to autism that led to severe depression and suicidal thoughts. This was followed by a realization of the life in front of her, surrounded by love and worked to change the only thing she could in this world- her. By doing this she has been able to see new options and provide new energy into raising a son on the autism spectrum. It is our mission to reach out to other parents that might be going through a similar struggle and help them find their parenting genius.