Because I Said So

This week was great! We learned about the different parenting styles that come with having children. I liked the parent assessment that allowed us to see what type of parent we would be. 

Four things we need to remember as parents:

·         Respect

·         Cooperation

·         Responsibility: ability to respond (accountability) = choices + consequences of those choices

·         Courage = Risk – outcome (the ability to step out there and do what is right, even though it may be risking your own well-being). 

My favorite technique from this week's lesson was on active listening. I'm not sure if that was what it was called in the movie, but the scene where the daughter doesn't want to go to school because of the boy that got upset with her from the yearbook council. The mom on her first approach got frustrated and didn't take the time to ask what the situation was--why didn't she want to go to school? What was the underlying issue?

The second approach, she asked if her daughter wanted to talk about it. Instead of getting frustrated and walking away, she asked her what was going on and looked at her daughter's situation. 

So often, parents get into the mindset that their children are being irrational--forgetting that they too may have had similar situations when they were their teenager's age. As children, they see things differently--their minds are still maturing and they haven't had the experiences their parents have to help them understand certain situations. 

Parents need to be merciful and learn their child's needs by talking to them, showing true concern, showing that they trust them to make wise decisions, and showing them respect. 

Parenting can be a complicated task. What kind of parenting style are we going to be? It may change from child to child. It may change over the years as the children get older. It is a continual learning process and we need to remember that it takes time and patience and a little nurturing and loving.