If you have ever been around a child between 1 day and 5 years, you know that peaceful and parenting are two distinct states of being. However, one Sammamish resident is changing the long-standing belief that inner peace has to wait until one’s kids start school and leave the house. With a book about the spiritual lessons our children can teach us and a parenting radio talk show, this one woman crusade is all about finding peace even in the midst of the poopy diapers and piles of laundry.
Leta Hamilton does not mince words. Her D-I-A-P-E-R for Life Strategy (because poop happens) is just one way she conveys her pragmatic approach to inner peace for parents of under fives. “As a mom to a 3 and 1 year old, I was tired of every book on the subject of inner peace telling me I had to meditate for an hour a day (or more) when I didn’t even have time to go to the bathroom by myself.” Taking this frustration and using it constructively, she wrote, published and distributed her own book on inner peace techniques that involve a parent actually spending time with their child, as opposed to running away from them to find inner calm. Now she speaks to moms groups across the Puget Sound about what every mom can do quickly and easily to go from “Aaargh!” to “Ahhh,” all while adorable 3 year old is screaming in the local QFC. This actually happened to Hamilton when she wouldn’t buy her middle son a doughnut. “Everyone was looking at me. But, with this training, I felt peace in my heart during every moment of this very public tantrum.” Any parent who has ever been out in public with their child knows that at one point or another peace will fly out the window and frustration, anger or downright despair will take its place.
In an effort to reach more parents, Leta started her own parenting radio talk show called “The Way of the Toddler Hour” to focus on how parents, mothers especially, can find peace and happiness from the inside out. So far she has interviewed such noted celebrities as Joe Vitale, Dr. Charlotte Reznick and Dan Millman. “All of my guests are experts in fields that serve a parent in his or her own personal journey to inner peace. My show is not about ‘shoulds’ or adding more to your To-Do List; rather, it is a forum for spiritual upliftment.” With weekly spiritual lessons from a Benedictine convent in Cottonwood, Idaho, a segment featuring product reviews by Cara Nitz of Your World: Healthy & Natural starting in February (http://www.yourworldnatural.blogspot.com) and a “Truly Amazing Woman” featurette each week (inspired by Hope Katz Gibbs’ book 100 Truly Amazing Women and a former guest of Leta’s) highlighting a woman or women doing great things to serve their communities, “The Way of the Toddler Hour” is more than just your standard interview show. “I like to think that one day soon, motherhood will be viewed as a spiritual path in its own right for a journey to inner peace,” says Hamilton. In the meantime, she will continue to practice what she teaches with her own three children, currently 6, 4 and 2 years old – and all boys. “If I can do it, anybody can,” says Leta with a smile. She’s off to change a poopy diaper now.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Leta Hamilton
715 222nd Place NE
Sammamish, WA 98074
541-505-1442