August '24 in the SMP
How much power do you have to change your experience?
If you’ve been hanging out at the SMP very long at all, you probably know this is the central theme: discover your personal agency so you change how you’re experiencing your Life. I suspect many are unaware this is even a possibility, and discovering that it is is sometimes enough to start playing a different game.
Did I just refer to Life as a game? Yeah, this is pretty much how I see it. Though, I’d probably refer to it as more of a Quest. If we orient to our Lives as though whatever happens to us is an invitation for us to figure out how to become the best versions of ourselves (and the best parents we can be–no matter the age of our children,) then we grant ourselves the freedom to shift our focus to where we can actually make a difference. We can’t change other people, and trying to is an exercise in frustration, disappointment, and ultimately, futility. Until we figure this out, we’ll be on shaky ground because inner peace is independent of external circumstances.
Viktor Frankl said, “When we can’t change the situation, we’re challenged to change ourselves.”
Most of my content touches on this in some way, but I’ve compiled a handful of articles from the SMP Archives to reinforce this message and offer some tips for how to get started:
If you’re ready…
And I mean, really ready to have a different experience, I’d invite you to consider joining us in the SMP Center. This private, vetted online community is specifically for moms of trans-identified kids. There is an important grief process moms who’ve been destabilized by this circumstance need to move through–and the moms in the community are in various stages of this process. That said, we do adopt a growth orientation and focus on how to emerge from this ‘dark night of the soul’ as stronger, more compassionate, open-hearted humans who’ve discovered how to find inner peace.
The price of this community increases again September 1. To learn more about the community, the reason for the price increase, and how you can lock in at a lower price, visit this post from August 2:
***Please note that the SMP Center application DOES NOT automatically collect your email address. To receive a response from me, you must manually enter your email address in the last question. If you’ve applied, 24 hours have passed, and you have not heard back from me, this is likely the reason. (The other is that my response email coming from stoicmom@protonmail.com was routed to spam.) Feel free to complete the application again.
UPDATE: I’ve revised the application form so that it requires you to input an email address. Again, if you’ve applied and not received a response from me, please check your spam or reapply.
conversations with stoic mamas
By now, you’ve likely seen my invitation that came out via email to my subscribers, followed by an invitation published to the PITT audience, to mamas who’ve found healthy ways to navigate this destabilizing parenting experience.
I may be wrong, (please let me know in the comments if this is the case,) but I believe this is the only podcast that talks with parents of currently trans-identified kids about healthy ways to navigate this circumstance and how this experience has changed them, for the better; parents whose stories and strategies may inspire you!
Please note that I’ve created a tab in the Substack for these conversations with stoic mamas, and the application for consideration to be on the podcast will now live on that page that contains the episode list.
Also, I’m excited to share that the podcast is now searchable on Spotify (though you’ll see all episodes from the various series of conversations put out by the SMP intermingled according to the publication dates.) The SMP podcast is also now on YouTube where you’ll find the various conversation series sorted into playlists.
Summer is quickly coming to an end and a mercurial Fall heads our way! As I describe in this early piece that made it into PITT:
Life is rich! It’s a wild ride that we can let beat us up and make us sick, or we can hold on and embrace the experience, letting the steep drops and fast, unpredictable curves help prepare us for the inevitable mysteries still to come.
How are you preparing for Life’s inevitable mysteries that still await you?