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Consciously Parenting
Intentional Community
Membership

$20 per month

Subscription includes 2 support calls per month with your small group of 6-8 families and your facilitator.

Other sources of support:

Phone coaching: $65-$100 or more per hour

• Advantage: One-on-one support for your unique family situation and the entire time is focused on you.


• Disadvantage: cost prohibitive for many families

Phone classes: $60-$135 and done in 4-7 weeks

• Advantage: Relatively low cost since you don't need to pay for gas, or a babysitter. Convenient!


• Disadvantage: Support ends when the class ends

A Note From Rebecca Thompson:

When I first began my parenting journey, I didn’t really know what I was in for. I mean that in a good way, though I’m not sure I would have done it with as much blind enthusiasm had I known what parenting would truly be like! Now, with the perspective of what parenting is actually like with 11 solid years of parenting under my belt, I have a much better understanding of what is really important- what really matters in parenting.

I set off with a good foundation of understanding: children’s most basic early communications need to be respected and honored. A good start! My wonderful midwife, Debbie Marin, suggested books for me to read to get a better idea of what I could do and also suggested La Leche League meetings to connect with other mothers. Brilliant suggestion!

I found that those mothers I met at the La Leche League meeting became my lifeline of sanity in those early days with a colicky baby who wanted to (and did) nurse nearly 24/7. As my son grew, I longed to talk about topics that weren’t part of La Leche League meetings and ended up starting my own support group for parents. I called it The Baby’s First Supper Club, as we met and shared healthy meals together. It was meant for both parents to attend and be part of our time together to create community. It seemed almost pressing at the time to create a community for myself and for my son, but I didn’t really know where this urge came from.

When I read The Continuum Concept, Jean Leidloff’s story of going into a primitive culture and observing the ways they interacted with each other that contrasted with her own worldview, I suddenly understood: we were truly designed to be in relationship with one another. We were meant to live in small groups who cared deeply for one another, rather than a mother being alone with her young child or children being put in daycare, separated from the parents. Our children were meant to have the benefit of many other people who loved them and cared for them throughout their lives- a community of people who care! This longing I felt within myself was about the innate need for connection with a greater community of others who could share in my experiences and support one another in raising our children. The other thing that struck me reading Leidloff’s book was that it wasn’t just parents supporting other parents. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and elders all joined together to raise the children; it truly does take a village to raise a child. The communities I was a part of were comprised of all parents with young children who were working hard to make it through their days, rather than people who were at different stages of life who could offer support and wisdom. I was heading in the right direction, but it needed to have an expanded vision of what I wanted to create in my own life.

I am no longer in the midst of parenting on my own every day with very young children. My youngest started Kindergarten this year and I feel myself taking a deep exhale after all the hard work I’ve been engaged in over the past 11 years. For the first time, I’ve found a community of people who not only support my own parenting ideals, but also have wisdom to offer me as I raise my children. As I listen to parents, I find that I am somewhat unique in this regard. Most parents feel terribly isolated and overwhelmed with the tasks they must do, with the lack of support they feel, and the attention that young children need so intensely in the first few years of life to develop into healthy individuals. In this age of technology, we’re more isolated than ever in many ways. No longer do we gather around the fire at the end of the day to share our struggles and triumphs. In fact, many parents are raising children as single parents and rarely talk with other parents! We need to make sure we are using our technology to create more connection- using it to find other like-minded parents and find support from somewhere if we cannot find it in our local communities.

Early in 2008, I had a group of parents come together in my forums and over the phone without ever having met in person. In fact, they were scattered across the globe from Oregon to Australia. This group started with phone classes and then moved into support calls with each other every 2 weeks to connect with one another. They had (and still have) a private forum area to keep each other posted on their lives and to ask for support and to support one another as needed. Not quite a campfire at the end of a long day, but they became a refuge for one another- a quiet place they could connect and share their stories and struggles. When I held a retreat, almost all of them made their way from their corner of the world to the place where they could meet each other face to face. This virtual community became a flesh and blood community. It was amazing to be a part of it.

It is with that same passion and enthusiasm that I am focusing on creating Intentional Communities here at The Consciously Parenting Project. Committing one year of your life to healing yourself and your family and sharing that journey with other families that are doing the same. Come join people from all walks of life who are all on a journey towards a higher consciousness. We’ve made it incredibly affordable and accessible.

What it is:

• Six to eight families who commit to staying together to develop relationships with one another over the course of a year to support one another.
• A wonderful way to develop friendships and relationships with others who share your ideals.
• Your group will have a phone conversation two times a month at a time you all agree on for 90 minutes each. You will also decide together about opening a private forum to have discussions between phone calls for additional support.
• You will have a facilitator who will stay with your group for the duration. Your facilitator will help decide on call topics your group needs to have.
• You will also have access to additional classes and other resources not available to our non-members.
• A great additional resource for those who are already in coaching or therapy to develop a deeper support network, or for those who simply want to connect with others.
• We request you make a one-year commitment to your group. We encourage you to stay with your group to develop those relationships.

What it is not:

• A substitute for therapy or individual coaching when your family is in crisis (though it can be a great addition).