Welcome to Attachment Matters.
Attachment Matters is a conversation between two mothers who are passionate about the subject of attachment, and how in parenting our children, we are offered the opportunity to grow ourselves up. This presents unique challenges to parents of children, adolescents, and young adults who adopt a transgender identity. Our hope is to offer greater insight into how to strengthen the attachment between parents and their children, despite all odds.
In this episode, we wrap up the ABCs of compensating for immaturity. Rose reviews the Neufeld concept of stuckness — what it actually means when our children, no matter their age, seem unable to move forward. She also reminds us that maturity unfolds and cannot be forced or taught. This understanding can help us relate more productively to the insight of stuckness. Instead of seeing our children as a problem, can we ask how we might show up differently?
Works Cited
The construct of maturation & development we cover in Season 2 is drawn from the Neufeld Institute Intensive 1 Course. Here is an Intensive 1 Preview Video (Part 3 of 3) that gives a taste of the experience of taking Intensive 1 as a live online course with Neufeld faculty. It is full of rich and simple take-aways that reinforce what we cover in our episodes!
Anthem, by Leonard Cohen
Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That's how the light gets in
Reflection
How can you apply the insights of compensating for stuckness for your child if he or she is still under 18? What about if your child is older, and now out of the home? Are they ways to use play to help with rituals for your relationship, to share in something special together from a more light hearted approach? Was the overview of “stuckness” helpful to hear? What other questions and insights, if any, came from this episode’s conversation?
