Embracing Your Humanity, Decentralizing Capitalism, and Being Your Own Advocate
They say, “it takes a village to raise a child,” but how many of you have actually had a “village” to help raise your child? Before colonization, communities consistently came together to give support to mothers and babies. Now, it seems as though you’re lucky if you receive the genuine help you need.
The rise of radical self-care has long since left the wellbeing of parents out of the conversation. Oftentimes, self-care for parents shows up in the form of communal care, like support groups, yet only in times of crisis and burnout do so many mothers finally reach out for help and support.
Our capitalistic society feeds us so many different narratives of what great parenting should look and feel like. America has been consumed by capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, and bootstrapping your way to success, but in reality, we are most successful when we put aside these narratives, come together in community, and simply strive to enjoy life.
Embracing our humanity is key.
Graeme Seabrook is a writer, maternal mental health advocate, and community leader who helps moms learn to embrace their own humanity. As a certified life coach and founder of The Mom Center, an online community exclusively for moms, she’s coached over 3,000 moms on how to center themselves in their experience of motherhood, without guilt or shame.
Graeme knows first-hand how powerful it is to embrace your humanity and advocate for yourself, yet how difficult it can be to feel empowered to do so. That’s why we do what we do.
Sometimes, you need a break. Sometimes, you need to be alone. And sometimes, you need others to step in and take the wheel.
Take a minute to write down your answers to the following questions:
- What is it that a human needs to thrive?
- How many of those things do you allow yourself to ask for on a regular basis?
- What’s stopping you from asking for help and support?
Capitalism tells us that you’re only valuable if you produce money. White supremacy tells us that parents of color don’t deserve the support that white parents do. Patriarchy tells us a man should not be staying home with the kids because they’re supposed to be working and making the most money.
It’s all about maintaining control and consolidating power, but what happens when we let go and share our power?
Work and parenthood do not make you valuable or powerful. You were born valuable and powerful!
Let’s cut ties with the toxic systems that keep us oppressed and keep us from thriving. Let’s teach our children to dream big and embrace their humanity.
Graeme’s Tips for Noticing and Decentralizing the Toxic Capitalistic Systems in Your Home:
- Don’t answer anything immediately. For example, if your child wants to start an activity that you don’t have the money for, set a time and place for you to have that discussion, allowing you time to think it over and generate an appropriate response and plan of action. You will get pushback at first, but they will get used to it.
- Remember you are ALWAYS allowed to change your mind. Give yourself that permission because it’s your right!
- Apologize a lot. It’s okay to acknowledge that you’re human and that you make mistakes.
“The more you can embrace yourself as a human being that makes mistakes and screws things up… and does all of those things that a human being does, every time you do that you’re breaking one of these systems, or multiple!” – Graeme Seabrook
About Graeme Seabrook:
Graeme Seabrook is a writer, maternal mental health advocate, and community leader who helps moms learn to embrace their own humanity. As a certified life coach and founder of The Mom Center, an online community exclusively for moms, she’s coached over 3,000 moms on how to center themselves in their experience of motherhood, without guilt or shame.
Graeme’s message moves beyond the traditional themes of finding work-life balance and improving productivity for moms, and takes a 360 degree look into strategies that encourage their complete mental and emotional wellness. This includes interrogating motherhood through an anti-capitalist, feminist, anti-racist lens.
Graeme’s work is inspired by her own experience with recovering from a traumatic birth and battling postpartum depression, when she became a mom for the first time. Her goal is to help moms change the world for themselves and their families by creating micro-revolutions in their own homes.
To connect further with Graeme:
Visit her website: www.graemeseabrook.com
Follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/graemeseabrook
Learn more about The Mom Center: https://themomcenter.mn.co