I am the mother of three beautiful sons, now young adults. We are a tri-lingual and quadro-cultural family and have lived in three countries, Denmark, Scotland and France, where our children went to the local mainstream schools. During their childhood and adolescence, all three also had extensive periods of being home educated, primarily by me but my husband was very involved too.
What ignited my love for parenting and brought me to work with families and to offer support to parents, was my realization that there is no manual for how to parent your child, and no manual for how to handle life and what it throws at you. .
This experience was highlighted in 1995 when I suddenly and unexpectedly lost my then partner and father of our son, who was 2.5 years old at the time. It hit me in the face: "How do I do this? How can I be a good parent for my son, while moving through this grief and upheaval at the core of my home foundation?” Family, friends and therapists lovingly offered their input and support and I was surrounded by caring and well-meaning colleagues and professionals in the field of Early years childcare and education.
This was helpful in many ways and I felt grateful for their support. At the same time, I found that it also made me more confused and to some degree more vulnerable and insecure. My heart was yearning for an understanding of my loss and how to live it. After 6 years as a single mother, I met a beautiful human being, Paul, who has become my life partner. He introduced me to the practice of mindfulness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. These teachings rang true to me and through my personal mindfulness practice I discovered the missing piece that my heart was yearning for: the understanding of Inter-being and the power of non-attachment.
We regularly share our thoughts and feelings on how to be nourishing parents for three children, and how to be present with ourselves? How to show up and be fully present for each child in the family. How to show up and be fully present for each other during challenging times for the family as a whole and as individuals in a family constellation.
Over the past 25 years, I came to embody more and more the joy of being a mother, a partner and a professional Early Years educator. Integrating my mindfulness practice into my professional life, I came to understand in a deeper way the life of the child as something different and independent from that of an adult. From this place I could offer ways of supporting the adults in nurturing the child in the family.
I have more than 30 years of experience working with bi and tri-lingual children and their families, in early years childcare settings, schools and in their homes. I have worked as an educator, parent coach, project manager of community projects for families and children aimed at nurturing relationships within the family, supporting parents in finding their balance in juggling the life of the family and their professional lives. I have worked in adult training and taught professional adults in the field of Early Years childcare and education and been the school leader of a Montessori nursery school and a forest school.
What makes my heart sing is a thriving family with happy children and happy adults. I love to see the joy of life emerging in a child, who is free to be him/herself, exploring his/her world in independence, offering his happiness to the people around him and beyond. It offers me great joy to see the love emerging between parent and child when they are able to connect from a place of confidence and ease.
The age from birth to six years is the age group where I have most knowledge and experience, but my approach and work can support any children at any age and in any type of family constellation.
I aim to meet you with beginner’s mind, to allow you to present your self to me. I am sensitive to your uniqueness and the uniqueness of your family. No two parents are the same, no two couples are the same and no two families have the exact same conditions.
My family and I in 2006
My family and I in more recent times!