It’s so difficult being a Parent…
As I was driving home today, I was listening to “Parenting Made Easy” on Fm93.8.
On this program, they invited a specialist, who taught about the Power of Words. The specialist remarked about how we need to bridle our tongue, especially when we speak to our children.
Basically, she was discouraging Parents from calling their children “Stupid” or negatively “labelling” the children, as we have a tendency to believe in the “labels” given to us.
Believe me…I am all FOR THAT, and I basically try to be as positive as possible when I am with the kids.
However, I think the challenging part comes in practically applying these principles in everyday situations…
For example…When the family is walking through the kitchen section at Robinsons, and Nathan starts fooling around and running around the glassware.
My Natural Instinct is:
Nathan…Stop Running or you will break something!
The Doctor’s Advice is:
Nathan…Walk..Let’s Walk to the next department!
The Doctor’s premise is that, when we say WALK, we are suggesting the right behaviour for the kids. So, if we want them to WALK, we should avoid the negative: which is STOP RUNNING, and instead suggest the prescribed behaviour of WALKING.
I think that Stopping to Think in such situations is really difficult. As a parent, you just want them out of the “Danger Area” and No more “Silly Behaviour” in dangerous areas…
No questions asked and Straight to the point!!!
If they are not meant to be running around the glassware ….then it is just STOP RUNNING…PERIOD!
If they are drawing on the walls, it is like “STOP DRAWING! “
My main idea would be to Save my wall, rather than how to put the words across in the most politically correct way…
Hmm…wonder if you guys face the same difficulties…
October 14th, 2011 at 1:42 am
I TOTALLY understand what you mean. In this time and age, most parents like ourselves are armed with much good parenting knowledge and information, but the challenge is really to put them into practice. Many a times, I go by my instinct only to regret it later because my ‘knowledge’ tells me there’s a better way of handling it. Parenting has got to be the hardest art to master!
October 17th, 2011 at 3:49 am
It s always good to know that we are all in the same boat together
October 14th, 2011 at 5:47 am
Yikes… “Parenting made easy”? Easy to say maybe, but hard to really follow when faced with the bad behaviour head-on! Hahaha!
Breathe-in-breathe-out before talking…
October 17th, 2011 at 3:48 am
Ya…I tried those breathing exercises…I get breathless
October 16th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Parenting… so tough but so rewarding at the same time. But guess we’ll all learning just as much as our kids are learning too.
October 17th, 2011 at 3:47 am
That is so true!