Hey Reader,

The other night, my daughter was refusing to eat her dinner.

But shortly after, I had her laughing hysterically and she polished it off bite by bite. What happened?

I pretended that her mouth was a soft play centre — each one of the vegetables really wanted a turn jumping on the trampoline (her tongue) and sliding down the slide (her throat) into the ball pit (her stomach).

It got me thinking how play really is magic for inspiring our kids to cooperate ✨

But I’m guessing you already know that…

And the truth of the matter is, you’re just too exhausted to be playful with your kids.

That’s the thing I see missing on Instagram whenever it’s recommended that we use play to soften power struggles:

It takes resilience.

Maybe you believe you’re just not a playful person, but could it actually be that your nervous system just doesn’t have the spaciousness for it right now?

When your wellbeing is “in the red”, it’s all about survival. But when your resilience is high, that lighthearted energy comes more easily.

That’s why burnout as a mum is so doubly hard — because not only does it feel awful, but in that place we also lack access to ways of being (like playfulness) that genuinely do make parenting easier and our kids more cooperative.

The upside, of course, is that the opposite is also true: build your resilience, feel more energised, present and playful…

And watch ripple out into fewer power struggles and more sweet moments ✨

So instead of trying to force play or telling yourself it’s just not your forte, this week I invite you to ask yourself: what do I need to be able to access that playful energy?

In support of you,

Kirsti

Mum of two | Coaching Psychologist (MAPPCP)

In my world

In the last week I’ve watched my now 4-year-old learn to ride a bicycle, and come very close to swimming without armbands. It feels especially sweet to me as this is the child whose development I worried about when she wasn’t yet crawling at a year and didn’t walk until 19 months — if only I could go back and tell my new mum self about these moments to come. A gentle reminder if you’re currently in the midst of any similar worries about the future: we really don’t know for sure how it’s going to turn out until we’re there.

Need a Perspective Shift? Coaching Available This Weekend

I have two Renewed Perspective coaching sessions available this Saturday 27th September. If you’re feeling stuck in negativity and powerlessness in any area of motherhood — your own wellbeing, your kids’ behaviour/ health, your relationship — and know a mindset shift would help, then this is perfect for you. We’ll spend our minutes together helping you feel seen, and then empowered to deal with the situation in a way you’re proud of, armed with a new perspective and realistic coping tools. Think more presence, energy, and the lightness of not having to carry it alone — £55 for a 10 min intro + 40-45 mins 1:1 coaching. Simply reply to this email to reserve a spot.