Did you know that Parenting can be a Joy? Can you imagine yourself not breaking a sweat, getting angry or frustrated when your kids don't listen the first time? I often wondered about that myself. Before I got married I remember watching parents in the way that some would treat their children as if they were a curse instead of a blessing.
Now that I am a parent I shamefully admit that I had found myself acting much the same way in certain situations, mainly due to my own frustration in not knowing how to be effective in my parenting role. How can we embrace parenting with joy? I would like to share with you a recent book I have been reading lately called, "Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood" by Jim Fay & Charles Fay, Ph.D. which has proven to be most helpful to me in achieving this goal.
With Love and Logic, your children will learn how to live with the consequences of their actions, avoid blaming others for their problems, and make wise decisions. Using the Love and Logic approach to parenting requires an investment of time and practice but it will repay you and your children for a generation to come. You will become effective in parenting by learning just a few simple tools so well that you can pull them off with a smile on your face and no sweat on your brow! Does that sound like your parenting can be a joy?
Here is a little bit of thoughtful advice taken from the book that I would like to share:
Through your everyday lives with your children, you want to be making four types of deposits:
1. Build the self-concept: Everything kids learn and do affects how they see themselves, which, in turn, determines what they choose to do with their lives.
2. Share the Control: Control is like love. The more we give away, the more we get in return.
3. Offer Empathy, Then consequences: Empathy allows children to learn from their mistakes instead of learning to resent adults.
4. Share the Thinking: Give your kids a life-long gift. Every time they cause a problem or make a mistake, allow them to think more about the solution than you do.
I recommend this book so that parenting can be a joy for you.... Take the challenge and read it as you will find it very life changing.
Monique Poppen
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