Dear fellow parent,

I’m so glad you’ve come back to this quiet space. Whether today you’re energized or stretched thin—thank you for pausing here with me.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve continued to explore the first three pillars of the LEAD Together path:
We’ve Leaned In to our informal supports,
Engaged with play in all of its forms,
Adapted with Compassion.

Each step is a soft rebellion against the noise that tells us we need to fix, prove, or perform.

Today, we arrive once again at the fourth pillar:

D is for Discover

Discover new insights about ourselves, our children, and the systems we’re moving through.

This is An Seomra Ciúin—The Quiet Room.
Today we are adding to An Seomra Ciúin:

For your head: Pause for Compassion

I’ve created a new reflection worksheet to help you slow down and soften into this space—with gentleness, not urgency.

➔ Click here to open Pause for Compassion

Use it however feels supportive:

• Print it out and tuck it into your notebook

• Tape it to your fridge or your kettle

For your heart:

A conversation with Jen Hogan of The Irish Times and Brendan O’Connor from the Conversations with Parenting series of Podcasts. Brendan has two teenage daughters, Anna and Mary. Mary has Down syndrome and here he speaks ‘how parenting a child with Down Syndrome has changed him.’

This space will continue to evolve. For now, let’s Pause for Compassion and listen to Brendan O’Connor’s invitation to gentler ways.

Just before you go…

Take one breath for your child.
And one for yourself.

Then ask:

What am I learning that doesn’t need to be measured—just met?
Let that meeting be enough.