Coach's
Column
Paulette Maggiacomo
May 1, 2020
How many of us are willing to show grace to others? Knowing so many of you, I can say without hesitation, that you do this every day without even realizing it. As educators, it almost seems as if grace is in our DNA. Every day we show kindness and compassion to those in our care. But what about showing grace to yourself?
Some of you Center Directors may know Nichole Parks with Leading for Children. Childcare Resources has been working with her this past year on a special Director Leadership Program. In her recent webinar, Nichole posed the question “Are you willing show grace to yourself?” During this pandemic, self-care is a priority and a necessity, it is not a luxury. When your child has a meltdown because they are missing the connection with their friends, when your spouse/partner becomes frustrated because they could not get on a Zoom meeting, when the dog is literally attached to your side and wants to go for another walk…..who is the person they turn to, the one they can depend on to show them grace? It is you. And you do it day after day, after day, after day.
What about you? Who is showing you grace? Take the time each day to show kindness and compassion to yourself. Yes, you do have responsibilities as a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and neighbor, but you also have a responsibility to yourself. I realized, after listening to Nichole, that I need to commit to self-care. I need to take time every day to do something just for me. It is not selfish, it is a necessity. I am reminded of that commercial where the mother is in the bathroom eating her favorite cookies. Someone bangs on the door and yells her name. She lowers her voice and says, “It’s Dad.” She takes the much needed time to eat her cookie in peace and relax. Who knows, she may have only been in there for five minutes, but it was five minutes for herself. Nichole says it is about quality not quantity. So, take that time for you. Show yourself the grace that you give to others. I will end with my favorite quote from Nichole,
“Make space for grace for you.”
