Parenting isn’t a practice. It’s a daily learning experience

Hello, My Fellow Village People! I am so thrilled to see you here in our beautiful, colorful Village.

My name is Wendy Rudd and I am the proud founder of The Coaching Village.

I’d like to say that my journey to The Coaching Village (TCV) began when I became a Life Coach, however, it really began way back in the ’70s when my favorite things to do included playing “house” and “school” with my friends. It’s been said that in order to find your true passion, reflect on your childhood and think about what you loved to do back then. So I guess it’s safe to say, helping children and families grow and learn is my true calling.

I started on this path as a teacher in Atlanta, Ga. In 2003 I became pregnant with fraternal twin girls. In December of that year, my life and my preconceived notions about parenting, changed forever. We use the word “twins” in our home very seldom. The joke is that the only things my girls have in common is their birthday and their parents. They couldn’t be more different. I quickly learned that just because they are twins doesn’t mean I can parent them the same way, and I certainly couldn’t parent them the way I thought I “should”.

Through my years of being a mom to two very different children, I learned that each child needs different parenting approaches. After many, many nights of screaming (from both my child and me), crying (from both my child and me) and exhaustion (from both my child and me), it was my coach training that changed the way I parent. The coaching experience opened my eyes to how my energy, my perspective, my ego, my assumptions, my limiting beliefs, and my past experiences affect my behavior towards my children. Once I became aware of these things and learned how to shift,  parenting became calmer, easier and more full of love and respect. I had to do a lot of self-reflection and self-growth in order to become the Mom my girls needed me to be for them. Not the Mom I thought I needed to be.

I am proud to say that my now 16-year-old daughters are growing into confident, smart and independent young women. When they were younger and I took them for their yearly well-checks at the pediatrician, I always joked with my husband that if the doctor said they were healthy and on track, I passed the Mom test. Since they are, in fact, growing into the women I’ve dreamed of them to be, I must be doing something right.

I leave you with 2 questions, and encourage you to comment on this post if you wish:

1. What will you do today that your future self will thank you for?
2. What would you do if you had no fears?