Trusting your child’s inner compass

🦒

As I take a sip from my morning coffee, I plunge into an old memory.

I can’t help but feel proud of the fact that, as a mother, I’ve always trusted my son’s inner compass and taken his desires seriously. His intuition was fiercely sharp already as a little boy.

Even though there were so many moments where my “adult mind” tried to interfere… and I didn’t—to take control of the situation, protect him, and override his compass with my “truth”.

I come to think of one memory in particular.

We were in London, just the two of us walking on Oxford Street, when Vincent suddenly stopped.

“Mom, I have a feeling I need to stop and help that man on the street—he’s hungry,” he said.

“Okay,” I said. “How would you like to help him? We don’t have any cash.”

“I know,” Vincent (10 years old) said with a determined voice. “I’ll go check out that café.”

He walked in and carefully chose a sandwich with chicken and mozzarella. 🥪

“This is what I want to give him,” he said, his eyes sparkling.

I bit my lip. 🫦

Mother’s instinct whispered, Am I really going to let him walk up to a stranger on one of the busiest streets in London, not knowing how he’ll react?

My mind started racing with all the things that could happen, all the ways he could get scared.

What if the man is on drugs...?

All the things I couldn’t control.

Then I looked at Vincent.

More than anything, I wanted him to trust his inner knowing.

So I chose to trust too.

I watched as he walked up to the man and offered him the sandwich with the kindest, warmest smile.

The man thanked him over and over again.

And Vincent was glowing.

He came back to me and simply said,

“Now we can go.”

“Okay,” I replied, holding back tears as we continued walking.

I swear, I don’t know many moments that have moved me so deeply.

Seeing him live out his magic like that.

And seeing myself overcome the fear of not being there to protect him.

Later, I discovered that, in Human Design terms, his Motivation is Guilt, which means he is naturally motivated to notice what needs improving and feel called to make it better.

Our children will naturally act according to their unique motivation. That isn’t something we need to interfere with.

Trusting your child's inner compass becomes so much easier when you first begin honouring your own.

For me, it all boiled down to becoming curious whenever I felt a strong desire... and also when I didn't.

Instead of immediately asking,

"Does this make sense?"

I slowly learned to ask,

"Why does this matter so much to me?"

"What is life trying to show me here?"

The more I listened, the more I realised that my own inner compass had been quietly guiding me all along.

Perhaps the greatest gift we can give our children isn't teaching them to trust themselves.

Perhaps it's being brave enough to trust them first.

Because every time we honour their inner knowing, we quietly give them permission to keep listening to it.

And perhaps, as they learn to trust themselves...

...we remember how to trust ourselves again. ❤️

Tiina

About Tiina

I help women entrepreneurs find success and fulfilment by being themselves.

Through Human Design, mindset coaching and practical self-discovery tools, I help women reconnect with their inner compass and trust who they are.

If you'd like to explore your own path together, you're welcome to book a 1:1 session.