A NOTE FROM YOUR PUBLISHER
We love introducing local families to the people in our community who are creating, helping and making a difference. Today, we’re delighted to spotlight local author, licensed professional counselor and mom of three Megan Cavanaugh. In this personal essay, Megan shares how a simple kitchen dance party became a meaningful family tradition and eventually inspired her children’s book, Our Family Dance Party.
After a long day of school, work, sports practices, and endless to-do lists... what if connection was just one song away?
As a mom of three young children (ages 6, 5, and 1), I’ve learned that family life is loud, messy, beautiful, and busy. Like so many parents, I spent a lot of my days making sure everyone else had what they needed. There were lunches to make, dishes to wash, laundry to fold, appointments to remember, and bedtime routines to survive.
At the end of the day, I often realized I had spent hours caring for my family... but not always truly connecting with them.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably wondered whether you’re doing enough. We put so much pressure on ourselves to create magical childhood memories, but most days we’re simply trying to make it to bedtime with everyone fed and loved. It’s easy to believe meaningful family moments have to be elaborate vacations, expensive outings, or Pinterest-worthy activities.
But I’ve discovered that some of the moments my children treasure most are also the simplest. (Although, to be fair, ice cream still ranks pretty high.)
Truthfully, our family dance parties didn’t begin because I set out to write a children’s book. They began because I needed them.
As a therapist, I knew the importance of connection. But like so many parents, I needed a reminder that it didn’t have to be complicated.
I was craving more connection in the middle of our everyday chaos. I didn’t need another activity to plan or another thing to add to my already heavy mental load. I wasn’t looking for another parenting strategy—I was looking for a way back to my family and, honestly, back to myself.
Years ago, when my oldest daughter was a newborn, I found myself in the thick of the fourth trimester, navigating postpartum anxiety (PPA). One evening, I turned on some music, and we danced right there in the kitchen. For the first time in a while, I felt grounded. I felt connected. The dishes could wait. The laundry could wait. Nothing else mattered.
For a few minutes, I stopped worrying about everything that wasn’t getting done and simply enjoyed being with my baby.
I remember thinking, “This is it.”
These are the moments I want my children to remember. Not a perfectly clean house or an elaborate activity—just the feeling of being together.
One song became two. Two songs became a family tradition. Before long, I realized this little ritual was doing more than making us laugh—it was bringing us back together at the end of busy days.
For our family, it’s a kitchen dance party.
For yours, it might be the living room before bedtime, music in the car, or a dance break in the backyard.
It doesn’t have to look like ours. It just has to help your family slow down long enough to intentionally connect.
As both a licensed professional counselor and a mom, I know these moments are doing more than creating fun memories. Developmental research tells us that children build emotional security through consistent, positive interactions with the adults they love. It’s not about the number of hours we spend with our children—it’s about being emotionally present in the moments we share. Even a few minutes of laughter, movement, and undivided attention can help children feel safe, strengthen emotional regulation, reduce stress, and build resilience.
Those same moments help us, too. When we laugh with our children, move our bodies, and step away from the mental checklist constantly running through our minds, our own nervous systems begin to settle. We aren’t just managing our children—we’re enjoying them. In a world that constantly asks us to do more, these small moments remind us to simply be together.
That little family tradition eventually inspired me to write Our Family Dance Party.
I didn’t want to create another item for parents’ already overflowing to-do lists. I wanted to create a gentle reminder that connection doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes all it takes is pressing “play.”
Our Family Dance Party invites families to shake off stress, wiggle out their worries, and reconnect through music and movement. Through playful rhymes and joyful, inclusive illustrations, the story celebrates something every family deserves: a chance to pause, laugh together, and create memories in the middle of ordinary life.
My hope is that it becomes more than a bedtime story. I hope it becomes the beginning of a family tradition.
So here’s my challenge for you.
Tonight, choose one song. Put your phone down. Turn up the music. Take a deep breath. Stomp your feet. Clap your hands. Sing loudly. Dance badly.
Years from now, your children probably won’t remember whether the house was spotless or dinner was homemade. But they will remember how it felt to be with you.
Because life moves fast. Childhood moves even faster. So don’t wait for the perfect moment. Turn up the music. Because connection is only one song away.
About the Author
Megan Cavanaugh is a licensed professional counselor, mom of three, and author of Our Family Dance Party. Through Cavanaugh Counseling Services, she helps adults navigate anxiety, stress, parenting, and life’s many transitions. Inspired by her own family’s kitchen dance parties, Megan wrote Our Family Dance Party to encourage families to create meaningful moments of connection through the simple magic of music, movement, and love—one song at a time.
Our Family Dance Party is available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0hv7bviL
To connect with Megan, email mcavanaughlpc@gmail.com
