Stop doing that!  Sit still!  Put that down!

It’s pretty frustrating when children won’t listen the first time. If they would listen the second time we would all be happy with that!  I’ve seen parents sitting at airports, in restaurants, at public places all over America repeat themselves over and over and over.  It seems as if the child doesn’t even hear them, or that the parent’s words have become like background noise to them.  Meaningless tones not much different than the parents on a Charlie Brown T.V. Special.

Eventually, in some cases, the parent has had enough and yells at the child or physically directs the child or makes threats like “No more blah, blah, blah for the rest of the week (month or year)!!”.  Now the kid is upset.  They cry or have an angry episode.  From this point on it’s anybody’s ballgame.  I could go on with all of the possible scenarios and some of you will be very familiar with them.  Obviously, this is not teaching anything to your child.  Side note…pretty much anything you do around your child can be teaching them something new, maybe good or maybe not so good.  Save yourself and your youngster further grief and set you and your child up for success.

Understand in advance that things can get a little hairy before they get better.  If you’re consistent  these situations will improve.  Develop your plan ahead of time.  You of all people know your child and know how s/he will behave a certain way during a certain situation.  If they step outside of the boundaries you’ve set be prepared to stand by the line you’ve drawn.  If you’re not prepared then don’t make threats.  It loses its power the minute you don’t follow through.  Yes, I know it can get ugly and all of the possibilities can get worse.  But if you are calm and committed you will succeed.

The parent’s mind needs to be full of positive problem solving skills instead of self-defeating thoughts.  Preparation increases Success. Pick up a book or two with some direct parenting skills.  Their job is to teach you a way to parent.  I see my job as to help you have the mindset to be open to changing old parenting patterns to new ones that will help create a more pleasant relationship between you and your child.

Word of Wisdom

“In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.”   – Tony Robbins

From a Child’s Mouth

“My mom thinks she’s God, but won’t say it because she’s religious”