Steven Fonso - Finding Magic in the Mess: A Path to Greater Presence and More Joy, One Parenting Moment at a Time

Twelve years ago I became a parent. You know what happens next: Your whole world cracks open. You see the world through the eyes of a parent. You actually start seeing kids where you didnt before: the malls, grocery stores, and restaurants. You are now part of this club. Everything just changes.

Everything also changed in my practice. With more than 115,000 office visits to date, Ive had the privilege of working as a hands-on holistic chiropractor for the past fifteen years. I have a unique skill set to be able to feel the spinal tension and relate that to how people are handling the stress in their life. And what I began to notice now that I was in the parent club was how the restless sleeps, the worries, concerns, and fears for their kids were affecting the health of these parents in my practice. I also observed that when parents adopted a more flexible and lighthearted view of parenting, their health was not impacted as drastically: they conserved more energy, had more resilience, and overall enjoyed a better parenting experience. And since I was trained in body, mind, and spirit practices, the level of health on all these dimensions was interesting to me not only as a parent but also clinically, as a doctor.

As I dived into my work years ago, I was aware that my personal values are spirituality, personal development, family, and health, and because of this, Ive been blessed to place myself in front of some of the top healers, thinkers, and health crusaders in the world today. And when you put your hand in a jar of glue, you cant help but some of it stickingthese men and women have been a massive influence over the years to teach me about human behavior, psychosomatic (body-mind) healing, holistic health, family dynamics, relationships, and consciousnessboth from the Far East to the Far West. I dont necessarily choose specific teachers; I feel they fall into my lap depending on what Im ready to hear. I tend to take an insight and an idea, meditate on it, and then weave it into my daily life. After nearly twenty years of clinical practice, studying, meditating, and gaining life experiences, a self-awareness guide for parentsFinding Magic in the Messcame to life.

As time went on and our kids began to get a little older, I was able to better understand the stress in our home and how much of it we were creating for no reason at all. After some deep reflection and even some quality meditative time away from the pressures of the daily grind, I began to collect my thoughts on this newfound perspective, along with some heart-centered solutions for myself as well as for other parents who were struggling unnecessarily. I hadnt planned on writing a book for parents, but lo and behold, solutions came throughand here they are. In addition to transforming my life as a parent, these insights have also added a new dimension to my practice, through well-attended workshops, community outreach, and more meaningful changes in individual patients outlook than I can count. With this book, I hope youll take this journey with me toonot in person, but just as powerfully nonetheless.