From Denny: This delightful photo of a child trying to keep her balance as she carefully steps onto a precarious path visually gives power to this quote. Parenting is a hit or miss activity some days as you feel your way through a sitation. Parenting is a new discovery every day as your child grows.
An interesting thought is that your child is also feeling their way through a situation, often wondering what to decide next on their path. Life is full of the uncertain and the unknown, requiring a lot of careful stepping and deep thought. Sometimes, Life comes at us so fast and furious there is no time to consider but rather we must react immediately. That's when you trust your instincts - your spirit - to act. The minute you start to wonder about whether you should trust yourself, invariably you end up taking the wrong path. Who hasn't been there at least once in their life - especially as a young child?
The way to parent your child successfully for these sudden difficult situations is something so simple if you keep a present and open mind to regularly practice it. You won't lastingly build their self-confidence by an excessive praise culture of everything they do or say is perfect. Often that results in emotional laziness or arrogance later in life. While this technique may be well intended and works well for children under the age of two or three years old, it can lead to cynicism as the child grows older. By the age of seven they think their parents are hopelessly lame and clueless, resulting in disrespect toward you.
But rather, the most successful technique is to praise them to others when they are nearby to hear but not in the room. They get to overhear you talking to a neighbor or a friend about how that day they did something remarkable. Sometimes, it's far more effective to witness praising than it is to experience a direct interaction. It's just human nature that our egos so enjoy hearing someone talked good about us. How many times have adult children happened upon a moment like this to discover to their astonishment just how much their parents truly did love and appreciate them - and actually admire their abilities? Try the indirect technique for your kids to learn how much you respect them. Then they will return the favor and respect you.
Quote
* If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others. - Haim Ginott
For more Mothers Day quotes to enjoy:
Funny Parenting Quotes 4 Mothers Day - Cheeky Quote Day 5 May 2010
Funny Mothers Day Quotes and Trivia - Cheeky Quote Day 28 Apr 2010
Photo by Victor Bezrukov @ flickr
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