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SECTION 1

(Re)connection to Self

Section One focuses on (re)connection with the self. Parents spend a lot of time, energy, and resources focused on their children. The first step on the path to parenting for liberation is to seize the opportunity to look at and be present to self through deep self-reflection and self-awareness. Section One provides an opportunity to look in the mirror—which can be challenging! This isn’t about looking at yourself in the mirror to fixate on flaws, but to instead embrace the pieces of you that are sometimes hard to accept and loving them, still—all the places of imperfection. Once you’ve looked in the mirror, another element of (re)connection to self involves parenting ourselves and nurturing ourselves—essentially, giving love and attention to our own inner child.

Throughout this section, you will read stories from Black parents who have begun the hard work of self-reflection and (re)connecting with self. Stories in this section will highlight narratives of parents who have explored the ways that we can reconnect to ourselves, including increasing awareness of our own trauma responses, exploring our own childhood trauma, identifying habits that were learned as children that we can unlearn, and exploring healing practices.

Following the stories of deep self-reflection, you will be invited to do your own self-reflection through various liberated parenting strategy exercises. The exercises engage a variety of reflection approaches such as poetry, music, videos, journaling, and art. We want to invite multiple ways of learning. As you do these exercises, notice what comes up for you. Reflecting on your childhood self, what are you learning about yourself? What are you loving—or learning to love—about yourself? As you do these exercises, remember to offer grace and love to the places that may feel hard, and gratitude and celebration to the places that feel joyful.