Fresh Start Family

Happy graduation day to my firstborn, my Stella! 🎓

Fifteen years of school somehow flew by in a blink, and today I get to watch this girl walk across the stage as the whole, brave, beautiful human she’s become.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you about raising a strong willed child... they don’t just grow, they invite YOU to grow right alongside them.

Stella has been my biggest teacher in this life.

My angel.

My mirror.

The bestie I prayed for before I ever met her.

She came in and boldly helped me learn, grow and heal on levels I never even knew I needed.

And now? She’s off to Long Beach State this fall to play Division 1 beach volleyball 🏐 a dream come true that only a girl this strong willed could chase down and catch.

Today we celebrate everything she’s accomplished... and even more, we celebrate exactly WHO she is.

I love you to the moon and back, my girl 🤍

Shine big. The world is so ready for you. ✨

She used to fear pickup time. 🚗 😱

Every single day, one of the moms in my community was dreading the drive home from preschool.

Because she knew what was coming.

The meltdowns were bad. Like, really bad. 😩

She and her husband were exhausted and running out of ideas.

So they made a brave wise empowered decision. They dove into our educational programs together, did their own inner work, and started teaching their little girl what it looks like to process big feelings with dignity.

And then one day... something magical happened.

Their daughter was mid-meltdown when mom offered her a calming break. She stomped off to her room. And came back 15 minutes later with a drawing and said:
“Momma, I’m calm now. Art helped me calm down. The rain in the picture is the tears my eyes were screaming when I was so mad and sad.”

She was FIVE years old.

That’s self-regulation. That’s a kid that learned how to de-escalate themselves then come back to the table - ready to work out an issue with connection and humility - at the tender age of FIVE! (No forcing, threats, yelling, or intimidation or giving in needed).

That’s what’s possible when you upgrade your toolkit and commit to doing things differently.

If you’ve got a wild, strong-willed kid who’s testing you and honestly bringing you to your knees... a kid you love so much but some days aren’t quite sure you like...

I’ve got you. 🤍

Comment FREEDOM below ⬇️ and I’ll DM you the link to our most popular free learning guide, the Cactus Kids Survival Guide 🌵. It’s the best place to start.