As parents, we often remind our children, “Use your words,” to help them express and manage their emotions. But that can be good advice for parents too! Writer Kate Hopper’s new book is an inspiring and informative manual to help you discover the power of words in your own life. As a psychologist who has studied parenting across the generations, Dr. Marti affirms Use Your Words as right on the mark as a way to be a more reflective parent who rises above harmful patterns of past generations. And as someone who has studied writing with this week’s guest, Erin speaks to the power of this approach in her own life as a busy mom of two young children. Listen carefully, and then get out your pen and paper!

 

Think of a recent time when you felt you were going to explode with the stress of your life as a parent. Or think of a time when you felt a great sense of love or joy or satisfaction as a mom or dad. Now use your words: write down what you saw, heard and smelled in that moment. Does the experience stir memories of other times in your life, including your own childhood? How does writing about these experiences (even if no one else reads what you write) help you understand yourself and your goals, dreams and concerns for yourself and your children? Leave a comment below!

 

For upcoming classes and retreats with Kate, click here.

For Kate's Motherhood & Words blog, click here.