The Power of Parental Intuition: Trusting Your Gut to Keep Your Children Safe

I had a moment this week that reaffirmed my belief in the power of intuition. While sitting in my car at a red light, my attention wasn’t consumed by the text messages popping up on my phone or searching for a radio station which played better music. Instead I was fully present to everything happening outside my windscreen, and I noticed a blind man waiting to cross the road. Something in me said he may need help. When the light turned green, instead of driving forward, I waited and watched as the man began to cross. His cane led him into the the middle of the road, crossing in front of my car towards oncoming traffic. I rolled down my window, yelled for him to stop walking, and guided him back to the sidewalk.  My heart raced as I thought of what could have happened if I hadn’t listened to that voice, my intuition.

Later that same day, my son was running up a parking lot ramp with his friends while waiting for their Jujitsu training session to begin. Even though there were no cars, the ramp was three stories high, and I couldn’t shake the image of one of the boys falling over the railing.

This time, my intuition urged me to act immediately. I called my son over, explained the risk as well as my discomfort, and asked him to wait in the Dojo instead. My decision wasn’t about controlling him but about ensuring his safety and that of his friends.

These experiences reinforced a vital lesson: our presence as parents matters profoundly. It’s not about micromanaging or stifling our children but about being vigilant and responsive to the subtle cues our intuition provides. Trusting our gut can protect our children in ways we might not always be able to predict but can often deeply impact their safety.

"Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect, in my opinion." Steve Jobs

A friend shared a poignant example of this power. She was grappling with whether to send her daughter to a sleep away camp. Despite the excitement her daughter felt, my friend felt an uneasy twinge about her daughter sleeping away from home, particularly as a young girl. It was a feeling she couldn’t quite put into words but couldn’t ignore. I encouraged her to trust her intuition, she made the decision not to send her daughter to camp. She communicated her choice and her reasons openly with her daughter. This act of honouring her intuition was not only empowering for her but also demonstrated how essential it is to listen to our inner voice, even when it may disappoint our children and be a difficult choice for us to make.

The more we are present and attentive to our intuition, the stronger it becomes. With time and practice, listening to that inner voice becomes second nature. Our intuition, when nurtured, can guide us effortlessly and reliably. By trusting it and acting on it, we ensure our children’s safety and well-being, making informed decisions that resonate deeply with our parental instincts.

Tips to Strengthen Your Intuition

Tune Into Your Body: Pay close attention to physical sensations like butterflies in your stomach, tension in your shoulders or a tight jaw. These bodily signals often accompany intuitive insights. Regularly checking in with how your body feels in various situations can help you notice and trust these signals.

Example: Imagine you're at a playdate, and you suddenly feel uneasy about one of the other parents. You notice a tightness in your chest and a sense of discomfort. Instead of dismissing these feelings, you decide to stay alert and observe interactions more closely. This heightened awareness helps you notice a situation that needs your attention or prompts you to be more cautious about future interactions.

Create Quiet Time: Set aside moments of calm each day for reflection and mindfulness. Whether through meditation, deep breathing, or simply sitting quietly, this practice helps you become more in tune with your inner voice and fosters a clearer connection to your intuition.

Example: You’ve had a busy day, and you’re feeling overwhelmed by your child's upcoming sleepover. To clear your mind, you spend 10 minutes each evening in quiet meditation. This practice helps you process your worries and gain clarity. You realise that your intuition is signalling discomfort about the sleepover, prompting you to have a thoughtful conversation with your child about alternative plans.

Keep a Journal: Maintain a journal to record intuitive feelings and insights, along with the outcomes of decisions made based on them. Over time, this practice can reveal patterns and validate your intuitive experiences, helping you trust your instincts more.

Example: You start keeping a journal to track moments when your intuition guides your parenting decisions. One entry details a strong feeling to check on your child during nap time, which leads you to discover they were running a fever. By reviewing your journal, you notice patterns where following your gut consistently leads to positive outcomes, reinforcing your confidence in your intuition.

Engage in Reflective Practices: After making decisions, reflect on the results and how they align with your initial intuitive feelings. This reflection helps you understand and refine your intuition by connecting it to real-life outcomes.

Example: After deciding not to let your child attend a new after-school program based on a gut feeling, you reflect on the decision a few weeks later. You see that your intuition was right—the program’s environment wasn’t as supportive as you hoped. This reflection helps you understand how your intuition works and prepares you for similar decisions in the future.

Discuss and Share: Talk about your intuitive feelings and decisions with a supportive friend, parent coach, or fellow parent. Sharing your experiences and hearing others' perspectives can provide validation and insights that strengthen your trust in your intuition.

Example: You have a nagging feeling that your child’s new friend might not be a good influence. You discuss this feeling with a trusted friend who is also a parent. Through the conversation, you gain new insights and perspectives that help you address your concerns more effectively with your child and support them in making safe choices.

"The more you trust your intuition, the more empowered you become, the stronger you become, the happier you become." Giselle Bundchen

Start today by setting aside a few moments each day for presence with your body. You can do this anywhere and at intervals throughout your day to day activities. Choose to be present where you are and notice what rises to the surface. Tune into your feelings and observe how they guide your decisions. Over time, nurturing this practice will help strengthen your intuitive skills and enhance your ability to protect and support your child effectively.

I'll leave you with my favourite and most empowering mantra:

All You Need IS Within You Now.