I was leading a workshop for parents recently and one Mom, a parent of an older teen and a little one, shared a story from her own childhood.

She remembered feeling relaxed and happy, “In her “safe place,” she said, when her father, who often worked nights, took a nap on the couch while she did her homework on the table nearby. When he woke up, she showed him her work and he smiled and quietly commented that she had done a good job and was a wonderful daughter. She also shared how her Mom always seemed busy and rarely was able to sit down or relax.

The story is sad in many ways and lots of things have shifted for families in 2013, but everyone at the workshop agreed that this story showed the value of parents slowing down and finding ways to offer children unequivocal love and “space.”

As adult responsibilities often necessarily consume our lives as parents it can make a big different to somehow find ways to provide little ones with a relaxed and loving presence as part of creating a safe place for them to grow and flourish.