Finding the Middle Path: Why ReGrounded Exists

How to raise kids who care about the Earth - without perfection, guilt or overwhelm.

This is the story behind ReGrounded (and the simple, real-world approach I use to raise eco-aware kids without the overwhelm).

Instagram exists in a world of extremes.

First, there’s the slow-living, perfectly balanced, endlessly patient mothers who sit amidst their exclusively wooden toys and homebaked snacks and their 14 perfectly happy, obedient, beautiful (probably home-schooled) children, sharing advice on how to be better, do better… etc. You follow them and mostly just feel guilty afterwards, and like you’re failing at everything.

On the other hand, there’s the skits and scenes of those sharing parenthood framed as absolute chaos: full-blown anarchy reigning down in the form of sugar-high toddlers and a mother burnt out beyond all remaining reason. You watch these and they make you laugh -they’re wildly entertaining and endlessly relatable - but they also leave a lingering sense of despair. Should it be this unrelentingly FRAZZLING, you ask yourself deep down?

Searching for the Middle Ground

If you’re like me, you’re striving for a middle ground. Somewhere at the teetering edge between domestic perfection and survival-mode frenzy.

But… the available advice often doesn’t cater to the middle ground.

The messaging feels like you have to DO. ALL. THE. THINGS, or you must settle for chaos and resignation.

What I Want for My Kids (and Myself)

I want to be an intentional mother. I want to raise kids who would rather play outside than sit glued to a screen. I want to make sure they eat kind-of-healthy enough kind-of-most of the time. And, I also thoroughly enjoy zoning out on my phone occasionally, ignoring the scene reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic battlefield in front of me as my older two run around dodging my 2-year-old wielding a stick.

My Eco-Parenting Tension

One of my main goals, though, is to raise kids who are eco-conscious and sustainably minded. Who care about this ‘good green earth’ on which we so blessedly find ourselves. But how do I do that when, in truth, SO many of my own life choices (and by default their home environment) are not fully aligned with these goals?

Realistically, I’m not going to start hand-sewing their clothing from hemp. And… I’m not going to use cloth diapers (cue a gasp of horror at my shameful disposable ways).

But surely, it’s not an all-or-nothing binary?

Surely, amidst a life still filled with plastic and a giant carbon-emitting mommy van, I can find meaningful ways to instill a love for nature and for the wild things of the earth in my kids.

The Books, the Thinking, and the Academic Background

I’ve thought hard about how to do that. In fact, since becoming a parent, I’ve read a whole lot of books for help… some about reconnecting with nature, others about living more intentionally, or finding our way back to indigenous ways of thinking and living, about establishing better rituals… and on and on.

I also happen to come from a background in environmental ethics. I have a PhD in Philosophy and my work looked at how connecting and caring for nature is a constitutive element of being fully human. I’ve published widely on these ideas in academic journals. I’ve lectured and presented on them internationally.

But much of what I’ve worked on has remained theoretical. Convenience has beaten conviction, time and again in my own life.

I tried the cloth diaper route, I really did, but just couldn’t resist caving into the oh-so-easy luxury of a constant supply of clean and ready-to-go diapers from a plastic bag.

Living in the Tension

So every day I battle with this tension. Accepting that I’m part-failure and part-hypocrite… but also part-hopeful.

Hopeful that I CAN still raise kids who care, despite my shortcomings. And that I can still make small changes in my own life that make me feel more authentic in how we’re aligning our values with our lifestyle.

Where the Framework Came From

And so, after much guilt spiralling, I decided to be more proactive instead. More intentional about this one thing.

I came up with an idea: a simple 3-pillar framework on how to (realistically) raise kids with muddy feet... and maybe slightly-less screen addiction.

I’ve followed it in my own life, with my own kids. And the difference has been notable. Not dramatic – no, we’re not single-handedly averting climate change and there are still MANY environmentally unkind habits in our day-to-day lives - but the changes are meaningful.

They’ve given root to my hopes that there is a middle way.

That’s what I want to share with you.

Who You Won’t Become (And Who You Might Become)

You (sadly) shall not become the mother in the first Instagram extreme who’s milling her own flour, raising her kids off-grid but whose hair is still the colour of sunflowers despite abandoning processed soap a decade ago.

But you’ll also feel yourself pulling further and further away from the other extreme of those drowning in total chaos- you’ll start to feel more grounded, more rooted and with a deeper sense of meaning in the everyday.

Sometimes it’s as small as: pointing out the moon before bedtime; or letting them get soil-stamped instead of trying to keep them tidy; or calling a dandelion a “seed soldier” instead of a weed.

These aren’t big lifestyle shifts - just small, meaningful moments that fit inside a real day.

Is This You?

So, do you want to…

• raise kids who are eco-conscious?

• feel less frazzled by eco-parenting overwhelm?

• develop nature-based mindsets that add meaning to everyday moments?

• do all of this without adding to your never-ending to-do list?

Then I look forward to taking this journey with you!

Join the Journey

Start small.
Start where you are.
Start with one tiny shift that fits inside your real life.

That’s all you need.

Keep up-to-date with my newsletters and blogs by signing up below, or jump right in and check out my courses, including the FREE 3-day ReGrounded Bootcamp. It might just be the jumpstart you need.

With you in the messy middle,