Traceylee Hooton Simplicity Parenting

It is my privilege to hold a space for māmā with new pēpi to explore what it means to become a mother. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity Taupo Parents Centre creates.

Becoming a parent can sometimes bring anxiety, low mood, or feelings that are hard to name. You are not alone. PADA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa) offers support services and information for māmā, dads, and wider whānau, so everyone can get the help they need.

If you, your parenting partner or maybe a māmā you've met along your new parenting journey are finding things hard, please reach out. PADA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa have some incredible resources and info on both their Facebook and website.

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Home - PADA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa The EDPS was developed to identify women who may have postpartum depression

What a gift it is to hold space for new mama's and mama's with new babies to explore and share what it is to be a mother. Discussion ranges from looking at the magic of what it is to give birth, the relationships we have with our own mothers, and partners (cue a great chat about patriarch!). I promised I'd share a link to a resource to help navigate intimacy postpartum, an area that gets little airtime (for whatever reason...). I am sending love to all those mama's navigating the early years, what an incredible task you have, we celebrate and adore you for it.

Postpartum S*x Whether you're experiencing low libido, dealing with birth trauma, or simply feeling disconnected from your partner, I’m here to provide practical strategies and compassionate guidance to bring the heat back into your relationship

I had the privilege of holding space through Taupo Parents Centre this morning, for māmā to share and explore what it is to be a māmā in the postpartum time, whether you are a new māmā or returning to that space having been blessed with another baby in your whānau. A part of that conversation is about how our bodies change, our priorities change, what we once knew has grown, morphed into something different. Intimacy in our relationships changes and talking about that can be tricky. The Gottman Institute has some great resources if you are wanting, or ready to reunite with yourself and your partner after having a baby.

As parents, we are our children’s first teachers.

In the early years especially, their sense of morality, ethics, and identity is shaped less by what we explain, and more by what we live.

Today, as we acknowledge the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, I’m reflecting on my role as both a parent and a citizen of Aotearoa. As Tangata Tiriti, we carry a responsibility to understand the agreements that shape this land, and to live our values in ways our children can feel.

In our home, this shows up simply. I see it in my daughter, who embraces Te Tiriti with her whole self 😍 not through instruction, but through relationship, care, and a deep sense of belonging.

This is the quiet work of parenting…living the values we hope our children will carry forward.

If you’re wanting to respond to your children differently than how you were responded to as a child — or you’re exploring ways to set boundaries, use more “can-do’s” instead of “no’s,” and offer acknowledgment rather than constant praise (which can lead to our children becoming validation seekers — tricky in the teen years when that shifts to peer approval instead of a secure sense of self!) — then this little book might be just what you need. It’s the shortest read with the biggest gift I’ve found in my parenting journey. The digital link is below.

SAY WHAT YOU SEE – Read the SAY WHAT YOU SEE@ HandBook Free We are parent and personal growth coaches, not medical or mental health professionals. This website and the content provided herein are for adult use, meant to be thought-provoking, and are not intended or implied to be a substitute for advice, diagnosis, guidance, or treatment by a licensed medical...

In the early years, a child’s brain is developing at an incredible pace 🧠 but not all areas grow at the same time. By around age four, the parts of the brain responsible for vision are nearly fully developed. This means children see clearly, but that doesn’t mean they understand everything they see. The prefrontal cortex 📖 the part that helps us reason, make decisions ❓, and see the bigger picture is still a long , long, long way from maturity.

At this stage, touch 🤗 🤝 is another sense growing rapidly. Touch is our foundation for feeling safe, connected, and grounded. It’s through touch both gentle and rough play, physical closeness, and movement that children begin to build mastery of their bodies and learn to relate to others.

This is why we don’t overwhelm young children with too many questions or expect them to make big decisions. Their brains are still wiring for connection, trust, and understanding. Our role is to provide calm, clear guidance so they can grow into their thinking selves in their own time. 💛

The blue areas indicate maturity, with red the least developed. Guess when we get to a fully 'blue' brain?

(ps. our brains aren't actually these colours inside our skulls, this has been done with very fancy technology).

I shared with a group of mums this morning about play, and the ‘stuff’ that children really ‘need’ in order to play. To dive deeper into the possibilities we open up when we play with and alongside our children I highly recommend the latest from Dr Nick & Billy at Pop Culture Parenting. They are super active over on Insta so head there for more snippets as well as checking out their podcast.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Sm1j3RciOSod3NK36x8A5?si=HQNrOajCQpGomUQGGUXVuw

Episode 118: The Sound of Music & how to play Pop Culture Parenting · Episode

Tomorrow I get to spend a couple of hours with beautiful whānau with babies at Taupo Parents Centre. Babies who have yet to understand that they are a 'me' or an 'I' and once they have mastered the art of their hands will grab at whatever takes their fancy. I have always loved Pennie's take on sharing, and relating it to the adult world. Let us raise tamariki who realise and experience the joy that is found when we share, we take turns, when we all have enough.

After spending a couple of hours with some māma with newborn bubba's yesterday I love closing our time together with the acknowledgement so beautifully shared by the late Michael Leunig and the journey of mothers.

This morning on a walk around beautiful Lake Taupō I listened to one of my favourite podcasts - Pop Culture Parenting (find and follow them on Insta where they hang out more than here on FB). This particular episode was on how to support kids who are 'different' (who decides what is normal anyhow??). It got me thinking, about how much I deeply value my daughters drama ACT2 Visual and performing arts school where I see the director artfully weave her magic and create a place of inclusion and belonging for any person who finds their way there. I feel incredibly blessed that my girl has the opportunity to be a part of that community.

If you've not got the time to listen to Dr Billy and Nick chat on the podcast, here are the takeaways I took from my listen.

With ALL kids (your child's friends, the kids they are in sports teams with, school buddies) find out what they LOVE ❣️ and what they are good at 😀 ...highlight and celebrate those things. And our kids learn inclusion and how to look for and celebrate diversity from us, as grown ups. How do we talk about differences? Different values, cultures, abilities, physical appearances. Lots to think about huh?

If you're a spotify user, here's the link to the episode I listened to this morning. Dr Billy and Nick linked this episode to Forrest Gump (and yes, I cried at least twice during my walk today).

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fGSN8ouW4mXWrXQjiOQMJ?si=4708fcca340a4dc1

Ep 068: Forrest Gump & kids who are different Pop Culture Parenting · Episode