A Conversation about Parenting
Okay, let's talk Parenting. I'm passionate about the subject and frankly, I'm no longer willing to sit back quietly and watch other parents stumble about...we all deserve better, especially our kids.
If we have children in our lives, we all want to be better Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Caregivers, etc. No one wants conflict but I see it all the time, all around me, especially within families.
And the good news is that it simply doesn't need to continue. We, you and I and every other parent, can change things more easily than you might think.
Basically it boils down to this: Parenting with our Heads or Parenting with our Hearts. For reasons beyond me, I've been blessed to (mostly) choose to Parent with my Heart right from my daughter's birth. And it doesn't just work, it's joyful! And not just for me, for my daughter, for my nephew, for my daughter and nephew's friends, our neighbours, and for every other child I've had the honour of interacting with.
Sure, I've Parented with my Head. It usually ends up with disappointment or stress or worse. I'm not talking about scheduling appointments or classes or fun things like birthday parties and the like. Obviously, we need to use our brains in this complicated, fast-paced world. And we need to share our knowledge and experience to keep our kids safe and alive.
I'm talking about taking advice from a book, a guru, a friend, neighbour or especially a family member and trying it out on your child before trying it out with your heart. That's where parents can get derailed in a hurry...and usually no one's around to help you get back on track.
For me, if it doesn't feel right, if it doesn't sit well, if I have to convince myself of its rightness, then almost always its wrong for our family.
If we have children in our lives, we all want to be better Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Caregivers, etc. No one wants conflict but I see it all the time, all around me, especially within families.
And the good news is that it simply doesn't need to continue. We, you and I and every other parent, can change things more easily than you might think.
Basically it boils down to this: Parenting with our Heads or Parenting with our Hearts. For reasons beyond me, I've been blessed to (mostly) choose to Parent with my Heart right from my daughter's birth. And it doesn't just work, it's joyful! And not just for me, for my daughter, for my nephew, for my daughter and nephew's friends, our neighbours, and for every other child I've had the honour of interacting with.
Sure, I've Parented with my Head. It usually ends up with disappointment or stress or worse. I'm not talking about scheduling appointments or classes or fun things like birthday parties and the like. Obviously, we need to use our brains in this complicated, fast-paced world. And we need to share our knowledge and experience to keep our kids safe and alive.
I'm talking about taking advice from a book, a guru, a friend, neighbour or especially a family member and trying it out on your child before trying it out with your heart. That's where parents can get derailed in a hurry...and usually no one's around to help you get back on track.
For me, if it doesn't feel right, if it doesn't sit well, if I have to convince myself of its rightness, then almost always its wrong for our family.
Not so when I follow my Heart.
Not only am I in harmony with my daughter or nephew or other child, I'm at peace with myself, and the kids can not only sense it, they respond to it. Of course, they also respond to Head-based parenting, too! And that's where the power struggle comes in.
Which brings up another question I hear all the time from parents: "why won't my child(ren) co-operate?!"
Let's save that for next time...
Until then...all the best, Dave
Let me know what you think... [sorry, to remove some spam, I've temporarily disabled comments] please leave a comment for me below (and then go ahead and hit that "Like" button!)