To our Parkette pals,
Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter, aptly themed: On Good Parenting. And spoiler: good parenting is easier than you think.
Perhaps it's the current political climate we live in that got us thinking about the choice to have children and how we parent them.
Regardless of how kids come into our lives, one thing is certain - they had no say in the decision yet here they are, tagging along. Given this lack of agency, we really owe it to them to try and be the best parents we can be, right?
We think so.
So, what is good parenting?
Given the proliferation of parenting advice on social media, it can be hard to figure out what "good parenting" really means. And yet, when we really drill down on the essentials, the answer is surprisingly simple: simply being there.
Parenting isn’t about the stuff we buy our kids, the classes we sign them up for, or whether or not we buy “100% organic” 100% of the time.
It’s about connecting. Being present. Being there in the moment, as much as we are able to.
As much as we might beg to differ, our kids expect nothing more than just to be seen and loved as they are, and that’s what good parenting is: showing up to see them and love them. No expectations and no agendas.
Showing up for kid connection
We get it. Sometimes connecting with our kids can be a little intimidating (Weird, eh?) That’s why we’ve compiled some inspiration to help your inner child come out to play.
- A ranking for the ages to get you listening (and dancing) together.
- A recipe that tastes better with teamwork.
- A book for co-conspiring.
- Six inspiring family homes - because everyone should feel welcome and no room should be off-limits to the younger set.
- A beautiful movie that will provoke thoughtful conversation. Read here for age rating and other useful things to consider before watching.
*A note about our featured illustration: this issue of the newsletter was illustrated by Maia Judith specially for Parkette. Maia Judith is an illustrator living and working from her house in the countryside of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is inspired by tenderness and mundane rituals. When she's not drawing, she likes to work on her vegetable garden and eat home-made gnocchi. If you'd like to see more original artwork here, please share the newsletter with your friends and keep opening our emails 💘
