Be a safe space for your kids

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Speaker: Dr. John Delony
Source: Dr. John Delony “The secret to Happy Marriages is Arguments “ | The I Wish I Knew Podcast

We've all been this parent. Where we find ourselves constantly correcting or giving advice to our children.

It's tough because we do need to be their voice of reason when they are young. We know that child brains aren't fully developed until the mid-20s, so we need to impart wisdom. And we need to do it frequently.

But here's the problem. When that correcting voice overtakes their feeling of connection with us, we have a problem. You may have heard before that we need to connect before we connect. That's usually associated with a problem behavior or an intense moment, but I think it's just as practical here.

If you want your child to be receptive to what you're saying (and the lessons you're giving) you need to be connected with them. If that isn't there, you might as well be talking to a wall.

Additionally, we all know we can't manage our children's lives. It's an impossible task, and they won't learn to stand on their own two feet. It's not necessary for you to live your child's live, even partially. Sometimes we just need to trust our kids to figure it out along the way. And you know what, they will.

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