Red Carpet Energy

After watching her daughter experience the joy of being celebrated again and again at a special needs prom, Karen shares a simple but powerful takeaway: we never outgrow the need to feel seen. In this episode, she reflects on how bringing a little “red carpet energy” into everyday moments can transform our homes, our relationships, and the way we show up for the people we love. Because sometimes, the smallest encouragement can make someone feel like everything. 

Transcript

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Hey guys, welcome back to Mom Life in the Woods. This is Karen, and I am so glad that you are joining me here for season two of Mom Life in the Woods, a podcast for slower, sweeter days. If you are just now joining me for the first time, I have 10 full episodes for season one. So it looks like you might have some catching up to do. I would love for you to, um, when you have some time to go back through those episodes and give them a listen. But thank you so much for joining me today. I do want to let you know that this episode is brought to you in part by Coach Dion Basketball. Coach Dion Basketball is the Woodlands most dedicated coach, and you can learn more at coachdeion.com. I am so excited to talk to you today. I did take a week off. We did spring break, and we are back. I couldn't wait to tell you about something that happened recently. My daughter Callie, she attended the Tim Tebow Night to Shine event. I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but it's a beautiful evening designed to celebrate individuals with special needs. My daughter has Down Syndrome, so she has special needs. So we wanted to sign her up. It's like a prom. It's joyful, it's thoughtful in every detail. Now, I knew ahead of time that there was going to be a red carpet entrance. I remember reading all the um, got the email and it told us everything that we could expect. And I remember thinking, oh, Callie is going to love that. She just, she loves a moment. A little sparkle, she loves to be seen. But what I did not realize was that the red carpet wasn't just at the beginning, it was the whole night. So, of course, they had all kinds of things that you can do. You go inside, you dance, you eat, they had hair stations, they had limo rides, they had uh so many different things. But over and over again throughout the entire event, the guests could walk the red carpet, and every single time they were cheered on. They had volunteers lining the carpet on the right, on the left, they were smiling, they were clapping, calling out encouragement. Like it was just the first time that you walk. So every time you go at any point during the night, if you felt like, oh, I want to walk the red carpet, then you can walk the red carpet. And I was not there. Um, they pair all the participants up with a buddy, and we were able, the parents or the caregivers were able to watch from a different location, and we got updates from the buddies. So Callie's buddy did let us know that she walked the red carpet more than once, and I could just imagine her walking and her just enjoying how special that felt. Because here's the thing: it never gets old, and not for her, not for the people cheering. And I don't know if they switched the volunteers out throughout the night, but I know when we walked the carpet with her the first time when we first arrived, and so the subsequent times it was with her buddy. And when we walked, man, it was so joy-filled. Those volunteers were just, they made you feel like you were just such a VIP. And it hit me in a really simple but deep way. People don't get tired of being celebrated, we never outgrow being welcomed. We don't age out of my daughter, is about to be 16, but we don't age out of encouragement. We never reach a point in life where we think, oh no, thank you. I've had enough support for today. We need it, all of us. And then I was thinking, what if we brought a little bit of that red carpet energy into our lives every single day? Not in a big production kind of way, but in the smallest, most human ways. For instance, what if when your husband walks through the door at the end of the day, instead of continuing what you're doing, you pause, you smile, you greet him like he matters. What about when your kids come downstairs in the morning? You welcome them with warmth instead of rushing them into the next task? When your friend shares something she's working on, you cheer her on without holding her back. I mean, the kids home from school, you don't start with the chores that they need to do or the what grade did you get on that? I mean, you just with open arms, you just show them how happy you are that they are there. Somewhere along the way, we start to think that kind of enthusiasm should be safe for big moments, birthdays, celebrations, milestones. But what I saw that night at the Tim Tebow Night to Shine was the magic of the repetition. It's in the again and again, the consistency of saying, I see you, the consistency of saying, I'm glad you're here. You're fabulous, you matter. And I think, especially as moms, we carry so much. We manage the home, the schedules, the emotions, the expectations, and sometimes, even without realizing it, we become efficient, but not always celebratory. We move things along. I know that I'm guilty of this. Keep things going, we solve the problems, let's get to the next thing. But what if we also became known for something else? What if we became known for being the ones who lift the room, who make people feel good just by walking in, who celebrate those small wins, who create a home where encouragement is normal, not rare. Here's the truth: you don't need a red carpet to create that feeling. You just need intention. And I'm telling you from experience, because I am one, I'm always I like to be efficient, I like to be productive, I like to have a plan. So a lot of times, I know my kids hate to see me coming. I'm not always good at just showing how glad I am that you're here. It's like, okay, now that you're here, you didn't clean the table that I asked you to clean, you know, that kind of a thing. But I think that intention is what's important. A hug that lasts a second longer. A smile when someone walks in the room. You did a great job that you don't have to overthink. A moment where you stop what you're doing and notice someone. That's the red carpet. And watching Callie that night and hearing that she had walked it more than once, it reminded me of something I don't want to forget. Confidence grows when it's encouraged. And people, every single one of us, we blossom when we feel seen. So maybe this week we don't wait for a special event. Maybe we create it in our homes, in our friendships, in the way that we greet the people we love, or the way that we greet the cashier at the grocery store. Because the world does not need perfect moms. The world needs more moms who know how to cheer. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of Mom Life in the Woods. I hope you have an amazing rest of your day.