Day 56: Thorn, Rose, Bud

And speaking of mindful communication...

A really nice exercise that my husband and I have tried to check in with in the evenings is the "Rose, Bud, and Thorn." While it may make you feel like you are at Girl Scout Camp, there is something really useful about having a structure for reflection. Especially when your brain is somewhat mushy and prone to negativity bias, which leads you to believe your entire day was miserable because of a 10 minute fierce crying session courtesy of your little one.

So now, instead of simply exchanging information about the baby's cute sounds or poop color, we also share about what's going on for us.

A Thorn, or something that was hard for us from the day.

A Rose, or something that went well from the day.

A Bud, or something we are looking forward to.

If the cheesiness gets to you, remove the frame and just take that time to share what was hard and what went well for you that day. It not only gives you that opportunity to reflect, but creates connection between you and your partner. Connection sorely needed during this time.