The celebration of birth comes with 9 months of planning, organising, redecorating, celebrating, baby showers, we come together, we support. Natural birthing classes become the norm, we study our bodies, our breath, what we can expect. An awareness of space, ambiance and mood become a priority, music, candles, what makes us feel good, warm loving environments, long discussions about our fears and others experiences intertwine.

The entry into this world is one of celebration, it brings home our humanness, our vulnerability, our inadequacies, our relationships, our families or lack of and from the moment of conception our fear.

The fear of miscarriage, deformities, stretch marks, unnatural birthing, natural birthing, c section, no c section, drugs, no drugs. Our projections of how things ‘should’ be rule our hearts and minds as the books come out of closet and opinions exude freely from the check out chick to the mother in law.

From that day forth we live in fear of losing a child, our identity, being a good parent, having enough money, child molesters, the terrible twos, teenagers, death, food additives and school bullies.

Our world suddenly changes in ways we could never have imagined and sometimes we wonder if we would have signed up if we "REALLY NEW."

Our understanding of childhood and parenting, life and death, fear and pain have diminished into a treadmill of external priorities. Why are we here, what is this earthly experience, what’s the point of education, career, budgets, credit cards and being in this cycle of life and death?

As this new life evolves our child  becomes our priority, we create a world for them and about them, imposing our beliefs, fears and values on them, to for fill our hopes, expectations and live our life through and as a part of them.

We create another external priority.

What if just for a moment we considered this role differently?

What If:

•    This child chose you to play a certain role in their life, a role that helped in their evolution as an eternal being?
•    This role that we agreed to play did not fit into societies ‘perfect parent’ guide book, should we carry guilt and self blame?
•    Your parents where playing this role you agreed on, does your understanding of the world suddenly have different meaning?
•    This child was here to help you as an individual to reconnect with yourself and help you evolve in your own evolutionary process?
•    Your role as a parent was to reconnect your child with the innate wisdom & knowledge of life times that they already hold within?
•    The role of your child was an opportunity to help you break through your own diminished states?
•    We considered parenting to be something beyond what our society portrayed?
•    A child’s death, illness, incapacity, behaviour was an agreement of souls to help you grow beyond yourself?
•    Each of your children played out a different aspect of your personality?

What:

•    Would you be here to teach each of them uniquely as individuals?
•    Would that role be teaching you?
•    What would the experience you chose to grow beyond be?
•    Role does forgiveness play or is it then made redundant?
•    Would you do differently?

How would your relationships change if all the above where true?
 
Fear, right and wrong would diminish as every challenge became an opportunity to build a stronger relationship with your child, to connect them ever more deeply with themselves and support them in their chosen evolution as a being.

Judgement, guilt and blame of self and other would be replaced with curiosity, presence and listening, strength and focus as your energy turned from being self effacing to self actualising.

You would be more focused on both the child and yourself, for filling your potentials as individuals rather than fitting into societies pre existing model of right, wrong, success and failure.

When we start to understand ourselves and the world differently it does not mean that challenge, hurt and pain do not exist. It does mean that we become responsive to our children rather than reactive. We see opportunity instead of challenge, we know there are equal benefits and draw backs in every moment, we are driven by acceptance of what is rather than fear of what could be and every moment would become an opportunity to

And what if all of this had to be experienced because it could never be conceived by the mind?

“Michelle Richmond has been working with my 14 year old son who has been struggling to integrate into his new school.  In just a short space of time, she has managed to win his trust and admiration and has had a profound and positive impact on his life.  Michelle quickly got to the heart of the issues and, with great gentleness and wisdom, brought them to the surface and helped him understand in a way that he had never seen things before.  I know that whatever happens with respect to his school and the issues he is facing, that he is now seeing himself and the world in a more enlightened way, and that is something that he will never loose.  As a father of four children, I have experienced the many challenges that all parents face in raising their children and I had a deep appreciation for how difficult it can be to engage and guide young hearts and minds through the minefield of adolescence.  That’s why I am eternally grateful to Michelle for all she has done for my son and for me” Peter, Sydney, Australia