Journaling has always been a quiet tool in my back pocket—until this one prompt cracked something wide open:
“If my inner voice were a person, would I let them speak to my kids?”
Yikes.
The truth hit hard.
I’d never call my child lazy, dramatic, too much, or not enough.
So why was I tolerating that tone from my own inner voice?
Dr. Kristin Neff, a pioneer in self-compassion research, says, “The way we talk to ourselves becomes the way we treat others.” And in parenting? That reflection is magnified.
So I started using this journal prompt weekly.
When I noticed spirals of criticism in my mind, I’d ask:
- Would I speak to my daughter this way?
- Would I want my son to hear this and believe it about himself?
Bit by bit, my inner monologue softened.
Not only did I begin to parent myself more kindly—but my words toward my children became more spacious too.
I became less reactive. More grounded.
Not because of a parenting book—but because I finally heard how I was speaking to myself.
Try this prompt.
Sit with it.
Write freely.
You might just find your most healing parenting tool doesn’t come from Pinterest—but from your pen.
