Should We Forgive Our Parents?
The question “Should we forgive our parents” is a very personal one. While we all desire that happy relationship, it can be hard to achieve it in an authentic way.
Parenting Introspections
Our parenting life is full of stories that invite us to reflect and grow with our children.
The intention behind the stories that I am sharing here is to connect with you through our common experiences. I invite you to leave your own stories in the comments. They can offer the support and encouragement that someone else may need.
We Can Recover From a Ruptured Relationship
We all yell at some point in our lives. It happens to all humans. And yelling at our kids can be scary to them. Yelling repeatedly or intensely can rupture…
Letting Children Take the Lead
Several times over the last couple of weeks, I felt inspired to pause instead of pushing through with my agenda and letting my kids take the lead. Or maybe I…
Never Do for Your Child What They Can Do for Themselves?
There is a well-known and well-intentioned principle in parenting, that I am sure you’ve heard of, that says “Never do for your child what they can do for themselves.” The…
The Most Important Parenting Advice
The most important parenting advice I would give is talk with your kids. A lot. We can offer guidance, comfort, fun, and most importantly build a deep connection with our kids.
Talking About Our Experiences
Being a parent is the most vulnerable and humbling circumstance. Talking about our experiences normalizes our experiences, builds community, and makes us better parents.
Threats Don’t Work Long-Term
Do you cringe when you hear yourself in your kids’ words? Threats don’t work long-term. They only erode our relationships. My kids had an amusing interaction which made me think.
Unexpected Ways to Build Connection
We try to build connection with our children, but we don’t always take advantage of the little, sometimes awkward, invitations they send us. Connection can look different than we expect.
Curiosity Questions Prevent Conflict
Instead of rushing to conclusions and having reactions that lead to conflict, we can ask curiosity questions to learn more and problem-solve together with our children.
Problem-Solve With Curiosity
Here’s how I use curiosity to help my kids problem-solve. Something bad happened at school. And they wondered what they would do if this happened to them. Should they call the other kid “stupid”?
When We Get Angry, Our Kids Feel Unloved
I always wonder what goes on in my kids’ heads and hearts. And I found out that when we get angry at them, they feel rejected and unloved. There is a way to fix that.
Fight Shame With Presence
Recently, we checked out a bunch of books from the library from the A Kids Book About collection. If you’re not familiar with these books, you can take a look at…