There are so many mums out there learning how to use homeopathy at home to support their families through acute mental, emotional, and physical challenges. I’m thrilled to see so many of you seeking greater health sovereignty and aiming to reduce dependence on pharmaceuticals. I wanted to share a bit about my last few weeks and how I’ve supported my three children, each in very different stages of their development.
First, let me say that I’m a mum of three amazing, funny, kind-hearted, and wise children. I feel incredibly blessed to be their mother, and even more so that they chose me to nurture, support, and care for them. My journey as a mother has been filled with joyous moments, but there have also been lows and trying times. That’s the beauty of growth, understanding that our children are our greatest teachers. I’ve come to believe that being a parent is a lifelong journey of learning, observing, and applying those lessons to become better every day.
These past six months have been pure chaos. We put our house on the market, packed, moved, unpacked, dealt with unexpected issues in the new home, nearly lost our beloved dog (my fourth child), faced financial challenges with endless things breaking down, received a learning disability diagnosis for one of our kids, surgery, opened my new clinic, and saw my husband take on a demanding new role as managing director, all with no familial support nearby. It’s just my husband and me, wearing our superhero capes under our clothes, trying to keep everything together. We’re 16,000 kms away from my family and over 200 kilometers from my in-laws. Life can be overwhelming, but I know I’m not alone in this (right?!).
Many of us mums (and dads) constantly feel like we’re in survival mode, trying to raise healthy children in a world that sometimes feels like it’s chipping away at their innocence. Lately, I’ve been feeling the need to take a little time away with my husband. Not just to recharge our batteries and handle whatever life throws at us, but also to reconnect without the daily distractions of life. We’re heading to Bali next week to celebrate almost 11 years of marriage and so I can attend an incredible international homeopathy conference to deepen my knowledge and better support my clients. I’ve not been away from my children for more than 3 days in almost 12 years. I’m excited but also nervous because so much is happening in my kids’ lives right now as I’m packing my bags to leave them.
There’s a mix of emotions, but I know this trip needs to happen. I’ve been using my homeopathic toolkit to support the changes in our home, and now the kids are feeling more settled as we prepare to leave them with Nanny and Poppy for 12 days.
And speaking of homeopathy, I want to share a bit about how I’ve been supporting my children lately. My son, nearly 12, is in that awkward stage of being 12 years but going on 14 years in his mind (insert eye roll). With the onset of puberty, emotions are flying high, and it’s been a new ball game for me, having never grown up with boys. I’ve likened his emotional ups and downs to pre-menstrual syndrome without the menstruation part! We’re navigating many issues around the ‘digital realm’ and the differences between what his friends’ parents allow versus what we’ve decided is appropriate for our son as he develops his own boundaries and emotional maturity. I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t really prepared for this stage, and while it’s been very trying, we’re working through it with lots of hugs, chats, and, of course, some homeopathic remedy support.
Just recently, I felt he was oozing Pulsatilla, especially with all the weepiness, irritability, need for cuddles, some skin issues, and those surges of hormones. Pulsatilla isn’t typically seen as a male remedy, but it felt right in this case. I gave him one dose of a medium potency, and I tell you, he’s been so much more emotionally balanced, easier to reason with, and has really started to open up to me more instead of trying to handle everything on his head. Last week, he came to me to share that he really likes a girl at school and hopes she’ll want to be his girlfriend! How sweet and innocent is that? I thought he might need a few follow-up doses, but one was enough. Though I know it’s a remedy, we can go back to if needed.
Then there’s my delicate little middle child. She’s fierce in her own right but also very socially shy, preferring to have just one close friend instead of many. She struggles to find the words to express her feelings, often suppressing her emotions. The other morning, we had a rough start, and I could see she was very sad, almost like she was heartbroken. I thought I’d done something to upset her since I was a bit grumpy, trying to get us out the door. I managed to get her in the car, but I felt guided to grab the bottle of Ignatia I had prepared for a friend of a friend that never made it out the door. I gave her a dose before reversing up the driveway. Ten minutes later, as we arrived at school, I could see she wanted to talk when her little sister jumped out of the car.
I told her I could see she was sad and apologised if my grumpiness had upset her. She took a big breath and started telling me how her sadness had nothing to do with me but everything to do with another girl trying to take her best friend away! Elsie (my daughter) and Elsa (yes, how cute!) are two peas in a pod, and when Elsie thought her friendship was threatened, she began to harbour this preconceived loss she was going to endure, brooding and coming to terms with the potential loss all on her own. We sat in the parking lot at school for 45 minutes (and couple more doses of ignatia), letting her cry and share everything she’d been holding inside for the last 24 hours. I gave her a big cuddle and told her we could chat more after school if she wanted. She went into school that morning having had a nice emotional release. It’s been about a week now, and she’s smiling and feeling much better after talking about her feelings.
Lastly, there’s my little El, the biggest mummy’s girl you can imagine. She’s been this way since she was an infant. I’m her person through and through, no matter how amazing her father, brother, and sister are. The photo below captures her feeling a bit threatened by her big sister. While taking the shot, my baby kicked my middle daughter for getting too close to “HER” mommy! She’s still known today for consistently saying, “Where’s mummmmayyy?” We saw a homeopath a 2 years back to help her with this because it was causing problems for both of us. Recently, things have flared up again, and she doesn’t want to let me out of her sight. These last few weeks, as I sit on my Homeopathy 247 shift, she’s been right next to me, playing with some toys or having to be on because she needs me to be close.
I think this might have a lot to do with her turning 7-year-old in six months. According to Steiner’s Anthroposophical Philosophy, she’s starting to experience all the mental and developmental changes as the Etheric body develops. This is when a child begins to individuate more into their own little person and starts to feel the separation from the deep connectedness with the mother that they’ve known since infancy. So much is happening for her on a deep emotional level, and I’m sure this transition has sparked some anxiety in her, leading to her wanting to her to latch on to me closely. I was worried about how she’d cope with me being away for 12 days, so we went to the homeopath (I don’t treat my own children at a chronic level. I find it hard to separate my mother’s cap and be objective). Pulsatilla was her chronic remedy, covering her entire symptom picture, which we discussed in great detail for 1.5 hours with our homeopath.
I’ve noticed subtle changes over this last week. One surprising moment was when she asked if she could stay with our young neighbor/childminder while I ran an errand. She’s never stayed with the babysitter by choice…ever! She always comes with me, even if it’s not going to be ‘fun’! I was gobsmacked because it was SO out of her character. The other day, she even joked in a funny tone that her brother, sister, Nanny, and Poppy wouldn’t mind if she joined Mum and Dad on holiday while they all stayed behind. We had a good giggle. It was light, not serious, and she seemed okay with it all. I guess time will tell!
This is the face of candid shock.
So, here I am, sharing my thoughts and experiences, hoping they resonate with you. After all, we’re all in this together, navigating the beautiful, chaotic, and sometimes overwhelming journey of motherhood (parenthood)! And now, as I pack my bags for Bali, I’m reminded that, no matter where we go, our hearts are always with our children, and theirs are always with us. But a little adventure and a lot of love and laughter never hurt anyone, right?
