Podcast Transcript
Hi, I’m Dr. Brenna Hicks, The Kid Counselor. This is the Play Therapy Parenting Podcast where I give you insight, awareness, and enlightenment about your parenting and your relationship with your kids. In this episode, I want to share a few things that are important to me this week, a few things that happened; a little bit of a different set up for the episode this time. One of the things that hit me this week was just the roller coaster of experience that I had with kids in my world. So I would like to share with you some of the experiences that I had in lots of different arenas just with kids this week and the insight that I gained from that. We also launched our In Home Play Therapy program this week, so lots of stuff going on with that, I’ll share a little bit more with you about that. And this is the 50th episode of the Play Therapy Parenting Podcast, so we are celebrating together our 50th episode. The path to calm, confident, and in control parenting starts now.
One of the things that hit me this week was just an overwhelming sense of the up and down of the parenting journey. I was interacting with a lot of families, a lot of kids, my own son this week, and I kind of ran the gamut of every emotion just across the board; everything that could possibly happen in the way of good and bad and confusing and celebratory. And it was just kind of an up and down week and it got me thinking about how that is the life of a parent. Sometimes we are on top of the world and things are amazing, and sometimes we feel like we are in the valley and the pit of frustration. I think sometimes we are really excited and we feel really good, and other times we’re just devastated and we feel really bad. I usually liken it to a roller coaster when I meet with parents at my Center because I feel that we’re constantly going through an up and down. This week, let me share a few stories just so that you can kind of understand where I’m coming from with this.
So our son spent a good portion of the weekend at a friend’s house and when I picked him up on Sunday, both his mom and the dad came out and said, “He is such a joy to have around and he’s such a good influence on their son. And he’s protective of their son and he’s loving and he’s kind and he’s obedient.” And it was a moment where I just felt really proud and really happy and really fulfilled in my role as his mom and just evidence that someone else sees the work that I’ve put in and the good that has emerged from the fruit of that effort.
But then conversely, I had a dear friend who texted me Sunday morning and said that her son had run away in the middle of the night. And so then I dealt with the devastation and the hurt and, you know, walked with her on that journey. He’s home and things are fine, but that really, in a 12 hour period, to have that level of devastation and hurt and anger and confusion and then towards the end of the day, have such pride and excitement and fulfillment.
And even kids at my Center; I have one that is moving across the country today, as a matter of fact, and I had to say goodbye to him and his family. And I’ve worked with them for a really long time, and just the transition and the preparation for that – getting him ready to adjust to a completely new world, a completely new normal for him. And you know, he’s resilient and he’s ready, and I know that there’s great things in store for that family, but that’s a huge change for them. And even for me to say goodbye to that family.
I have another one that I’m wrapping up with today, and she’s been with me for a while and she is thriving. She is doing so well. Everyone in her life just says she’s a completely different kid and things are going so well. And I have another girl who is fighting an eating disorder, and she told me last week that she was able to not binge and purge for three days straight, and that was something that we celebrated together. So you can see – and I know many of you don’t work with kids and you don’t have many kids in and out of your life on a daily basis except your own – but you can just see, I was kind of processing all of those experiences, realizing that parenting is just a crazy wild ride. And when you have children in your life, you go through a lot. It’s good and it’s bad, and it’s ugly and it’s happy, and it’s exciting and it’s so many things. And it got me thinking that no matter where we are in the journey, we’re all working toward the common goal of being confident, equipped parents that have happy kids and happy families. So that just resonated with me this week as I unpacked all of that, that even if we’re celebrating the good, if we’re mourning the bad, if we’re frustrated, if we’re proud, whatever we are, wherever we are on our journey in the ups and downs of life with kids, we are all united and we all come together with the idea that we are working to be the best parents that we can be. Actively, intentionally, purposefully working toward being the best parents that we could be, and then we are celebrating the fact that we get there and then we have happy kids and a happy family. And so I hope that encourages you. That was something that I kind of worked through on my own and I wanted to share because no matter where you are, we are all in this together. We’re walking this journey together and I’m honored and grateful that you allow me to be a small part of that journey that you have with your kids and your parenting.
So on an exciting note, as I mentioned, we launched the In Home Play Therapy program yesterday and that will run through the 28th, May 28th. So as we close registration on May 28th, we will have all kinds of parents ready to begin this 10 week program. So excited about the life change that I know will take place for the parents who are able to get a spot in the course. There are only 45. So if you are interested, go to In Home Play Therapy.com and check that out. Registration will close Friday, May 28th at midnight. But that has been something we have worked so hard on, years to be honest with you, of work. But especially in these last three months, we’ve been really working to make sure that this is an absolutely incredible, life changing program. So I’m celebrating with you on that as well because I hope that some of you will be a part of that with me. And that is really an incredible 10 week course. So really excited about that.
And then finally, thank you for being a part of the 50th episode of the Play Therapy Parenting podcast. I know statistics show that a lot of podcasters start podcasts and then it just kind of fizzles and fades. And so to have the 50th episode together with you today is very exciting for me. And to be honest with you, I was unprepared for the popularity of this. We haven’t really put a whole lot of energy and effort into marketing this or advertising this, promoting this in any way. But it has just really kind of grown as an organic, grassroots type of thing. And so many people are subscribing and downloading; thank you for being one of those people. Thank you for wanting to hear what I have to share and for allowing me to be a part of your commute, or your time in the car, or wherever it is that you are listening. So if you haven’t already, please subscribe and sign up so that you are notified when a new podcast episode is put out. And you know, we’ve just had a really incredible growth and response to the podcast, so we’re trying to be more frequent with our episodes. We’re working on making sure that we get them out on a regular, consistent basis so that you all are equipped and confident and you are able to be an in control parent that you want to be.
So if you are celebrating with me this week on really exciting parenting topics and things that are happening in your lives with your kids that you’re really excited about, I am excited with you. If you are in a more frustrated place, a darker place, if things are really difficult with your kids right now, know that I’m walking with you there too. And the fact that you’re listening means that you are working toward being the best parent that you can be. So we are in this together. We will walk this journey together and I’m honored that I get to be a part of that. Check out In Home Play Therapy.com if you would like more information about the Play Therapy program that was launched right now through May 28th. And again – 50th episode. Thanks for celebrating that with me. That is something that I’ve been working towards for a long time. So we will be back to our regular episode next time. I know that we were going to do another rule of thumb, but 50th episode was a little bit of a different structure. So in the next episode we will cover the rule of thumb “What’s most important may not be what you do, but what you do after what you did.” So make sure you stay tuned for that. Thank you again. Talk to you soon.
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