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Lauren Behfarin

@laurenbehfarin

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Founder of @littleroomsupply
Interior Designer, wife and mother of 3 in NYC

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The things we do, or maybe more importantly, the things we don’t do, for our kids to teach them independence.

As my kids get bigger, I’m realizing we’re entering a whole new phase of parenting. One where I’m learning what feels right for this stage, both for them and for me. So much of parenting when they’re little is about doing things for them. And now, more and more, it’s about figuring out what they can do for themselves.

I’m letting them figure out breakfast on their own, choose their own clothes, pack their own bags, and remember to call me when they get somewhere instead of relying on an app to tell me where they are.

I’m letting them try things that feel physically challenging. Climb a little higher, take a few risks, feel a little scared, and discover their own boundaries. I don’t want my fears to automatically become theirs.

And I’m trying to teach them that independence doesn’t just mean taking care of yourself. It means taking care of each other.

Because so much of parenting at this stage is preparing them for the moments when we aren’t all together.

It’s probably a little premature for my youngest.

So if you see a fully self-sufficient 7-year-old crossing Park Avenue and hailing herself a cab, she’s probably mine!

These are 7 little things we’re working on right now. Not because I’ve figured any of this out, I have not. But we are working on giving them more idependance. Even though I want to be with them everywhere! by @laurenbehfarin

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3 days ago

September started at the beach and ended in the city. It included a hectic back-to-school week, 2 high holidays, 2 birthdays, 1 new nephew, a bris, bat mitzvah planning, a big client at work, a new dog, and somehow I’m still standing. If not now, then when? by @laurenbehfarin

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10 days ago

My love for summer is endless, and my love for these three goes even deeper. Combine them and it’s magic. Thank you summer 2026. You will live in a photo album now but you were so, so fun to experience. by @laurenbehfarin

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a month ago

Surfer vibes today, without knowing how to actually surf

Suit from @alemais.official on @netaporter
Shorts from @jcrew by @laurenbehfarin

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2 months ago

Sardinia for a long weekend with friends, no kids, and lots of time in the water is “outstanding fun” as Jason describes it. by @laurenbehfarin

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2 months ago

✌️to all responsibilities for 4 days!

#motherhoodmentalload by @laurenbehfarin

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3 months ago

Third and final week of just Annabelle. It has just been quietly this, the two of us, out East with a rotation of plans revolving around her. Less chaos, lots of fun. But tonight as I was putting her to bed she said, “Mom, do you think Gemma and Leo miss me as much as I miss them?” So, yes it’s been brilliantly fun to have time alone with my little sidekick, but now it’s time to reunite our little trio. As it was meant to be. But not before I soak up these last couple days with my girl. by @laurenbehfarin

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3 months ago

Scooped up this vintage crochet Missoni dress at the @hamptonflea a few weeks ago and finally wore it last night.

If you’re out east this summer, definitely check the Hampton Flea calendar. There are so many good vintage finds, and it’s one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend morning on a little treasure hunt. by @laurenbehfarin

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3 months ago

Weekend stuff that made me happy by @laurenbehfarin

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3 months ago

My daughter calls it a “haul” but this was just good old fashioned 90’s shopping to me. Each style is listed and you can find them on the @adidasoriginals website. No commission links, just fun summer styling. Which is your favorite?

#adidasstyle #summerstyling by @laurenbehfarin

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4 months ago

For one week, we lived on a boat. We woke up together. We swam together. We ate together. We watched the sky change colors together. Every day began with the sea and ended with the sea. Just the rhythm of the boat. The rhythm of family.

And somewhere between the little coves and long lunches and salt-stiff hair, I felt something familiar stirring. Something old. Something inherited.
Turkey.
Not the Turkey of guidebooks or hotel reservations. The Turkey of my childhood summers. The Turkey of stories told around tables. The Turkey of my father’s voice when he slips effortlessly into his first language.

One of my favorite moments was watching Leo speak Turkish. Months of Duolingo lessons, practiced quietly at home, suddenly coming to life. He ordered food. Asked questions. And I found myself watching him the way mothers do—but seeing all the people who came before him.
My father speaking Turkish all day. My children listening. Listening and absorbing and connecting threads they may not even realize.

And then there were the days themselves.
The days with no electronics. The days with cousins piled together. The days with grandparents and aunts and uncles and card games and swims and one more jump off the boat before dinner. The days that feel ordinary while you’re living them and sacred once they’re gone.

I keep thinking that the greatest gift wasn’t Turkey.
It wasn’t the boat.
It wasn’t even the celebration of my parent’s 45th wedding anniversary.
It was time.
Time to remember who we are when there is nowhere else to be.
I hope my children remember Bodrum.
I hope they remember the water.
I hope they remember their grandfather showing them the country that made him.
And I hope they remember, years from now, that there is a little Turkish blood running through their veins too.
The sea. The stories. The language. The family.
All of it belongs to them now.
And I suspect we’ll be telling stories about this week for the rest of our lives.

Thank you to my parents for finding each other 45 years ago, building this life, and taking us on this most magical trip. Happy Anniversary and Happy Father’s Day! taken in Bodrum, Turkey by @laurenbehfarin

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4 months ago

Watching their faces as they experience new things will always bring me the deepest joy.
Back home now and ready for a summer full of more special moments. by @laurenbehfarin

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4 months ago