As I witness all this outrageous trauma playing out on the global stage between man and woman, one of the most poignant components it illuminates for me is the power we hold in how we choose to steward our daughters and sons in these times. What is our part to play in creating something different for the rising generations?

I pray we can model for our daughters what it means to powerfully use her voice; what it looks like to embody true self-respect and self-care; what it is to know her sovereign worth and power in the world; to cherish the sanctity of her sexuality, and treat her own body as a temple. I pray we can model for her how to deeply honor the masculine; how to respectfully perceive his vulnerability and not feed his shame. How to honor him for his whole self, his strength and passion of purpose alongside his tender uncertainty; how to celebrate his accomplishments while embodying compassion for what’s still growing in him.

I pray we can model for our sons how to become self-respecting men of true power and integrity; men who value their own capacity to feel, listen, empathize, emote and attune with others; to boldly stand up for truth, and to know their sex as a sacred extension of their powerful hearts. I pray we can raise him to deeply respect the feminine; to honor her intuition, her body and her multi-faceted expression. How to honor her for her whole self, her depth and radiance alongside her sensitive needs; how to celebrate her victories while holding space for her evolving maturity.

I want us to continuously teach our children how to stay vigilant and aware of any signs of danger or violation, to trust the wisdom of their instincts, and to speak out bravely if they notice anything is off. I want them to value their ability to be brilliantly discerning and to clearly distinguish what’s ok from what’s not ok.

I want us to continuously model for our children how to stay in right relationship with alcohol and other substances; how to recognize the difference between medicine and poison in their own bodies, and how to directly meet their discomfort, grief, rage and despair, rather than seek to numb their pain.

I want them to know that what’s really, unbelievably “cool”, like, truly the coolest thing of all~ is to be real and honest and accountable; to say thank you, and I’m sorry; to take responsibility, to apologize, and to forgive.

Children who learn in the deepest way how to love and respect themselves—their own bodies, hearts and souls— grow into adults who inherently love and respect those around them; who come to lead others in a way that shines with radical dignity and decency and life-changing kindness.

In this way, modeling self-love, self-respect, restraint, courage and integrity feels to me like one of the most revolutionary actions we can take in these times. It’s no small task, but hey, we signed up for this. ~*~