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Sonja Preston

The Midnight Phone Call

April 24, 2017/in Parents /by Sonja Preston

Last night I got one of those midnight phone calls – you know the ones, the ones you dread! Now most people might go into panic mode – what’s wrong? Or who’s sick? Or who’s died?

Me… to be honest my first thought was: Who’s interrupting my sleep! – especially when it came up as an unknown number. I debated whether to answer it or not, thinking it was probably some person from overseas wanting to sell me something, or it might even be a wrong number. But, I decided to answer it, and, I am glad I did – it was a friend in need! She’d rung on a new phone and so it appeared as unknown number to me.

 

She was in tears with a situation at home and where she knew she was sinking further and further into depressive thoughts and misery – and the never-ending circle that sometimes comes with that. She was crying and apologising for calling me in the same breath. Without sharing any of her personal details, I thanked her for recognising that she wasn’t coping and said that I knew it took great courage to reach out for help.

 

How often do we think that if we admit that we are going through a rough time is an admission of failure? And rather than ask for help, we quietly ‘soldier on’ and often our ability to cope becomes more of an issue until finally we collapse – in sickness, in mental health etc. We all know life can be tough at times.

 

Having a friend to walk beside you makes all the difference. Read more

https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_7769.jpg 2448 3264 Sonja Preston https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TPC-Logo.svg Sonja Preston2017-04-24 15:47:302017-04-24 15:47:30The Midnight Phone Call
Sonja Preston

Parenting: A BIG step out of our Comfort Zone!

April 17, 2017/in 1 - 3 Years, 3 - 5 Years, 4 - 12 Months, Birth - 3 Months, Parents /by Sonja Preston

Think back to when you were pregnant with your first child. You may have been excited, or scared. You may have wondered about what the child would look like or be like. You may have been sad about your pregnancy – particularly if it was an unexpected pregnancy. You may have been beaming with excitement.

 

Then the baby arrived – some will have had an ‘easy’ birth, some harder but still okay and some may have had a difficult birth. After being in the hospital or with your midwife for a while, you were then be alone with this new little human – learning to do all that needed to be done whilst recovering from the birth and coping with interrupted sleep.

 

For many of us, there was a time when we thought: ‘I have no idea what to do here’; or ‘I’ve tried everything and he’s still unsettled’ or ‘Help, I can’t do this’.

 

At this point in time the reality is that you have stepped outside your Comfort Zone, and you are in a space/ situation which is uncomfortable for you, and this is because it is very unfamiliar – it’s something you’ve not done before. Read more

https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Comfort-Zone.jpg 500 759 Sonja Preston https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TPC-Logo.svg Sonja Preston2017-04-17 15:23:562017-04-17 15:23:56Parenting: A BIG step out of our Comfort Zone!
Sonja Preston

The Importance of Nurturing Your Baby’s Amazing Brain

April 10, 2017/in 1 - 3 Years, 3 - 5 Years, 4 - 12 Months, Birth - 3 Months, Intellectual, Language, Motor Developement, Social - Emotional /by Sonja Preston

Did you know, that when a baby is born, his brain is ½ the size of an adult brain? By the time he is 3 years old, his brain has grown to 80% size of an adult brain. This is incredible growth, in just 3 years.

How does the brain work, and how can we foster this development?

The Working Brain

Within the brain are billions of nerve cells, known as neurons. The neurons have to connect with other brain cells in order to work. Some of these connections are present from birth – for example, the ability to breathe, to suck, to cry, and others occur as the baby grows and develops. The connections occur when experiences or skills are repeated over and over.

Read more

https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/sleeping-baby.jpg 427 640 Sonja Preston https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TPC-Logo.svg Sonja Preston2017-04-10 03:30:332019-09-09 09:46:40The Importance of Nurturing Your Baby’s Amazing Brain

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