Brainworks® - Carla's Pearls of Wisdom to Parents Part 2: 6 through 10
Carla's Pearls of Wisdom to Parents
Part 2: 6 through 10
"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about."
- Angela Schwindt
- Learn to apologize to your child when you are wrong. If you want your child to learn this skill, you need to role model it. Swallow your pride and admit your mistakes even if you are still the boss. Both you and your child will benefit. In the business world, have you ever wanted a boss to admit she was wrong? If she did, would you have more respect for that person?
- Expect your child to strive for excellence; do his or her best. If you will only accept perfection, you could be setting the child up for constant fear of failure. Not everyone is cut out to be a pro football player or a college cheerleader at a major university. Everyone needs to learn how to plan for a plan B if plan A does not work out.
- Privacy is a myth when it comes to the internet. You must protect your child from what comes into your home. The computer needs to be in the family room and supervised. You cannot be lazy about checking what your child is doing. The temptations are too many.
- Teachable moments are not during the conflict. You have to catch the child doing something right. Give an immediate sign of approval such as a wink, a "thumbs-up" sign, or a verbal approval like "I noticed that you unloaded the dishwasher without being reminded. Thank you." Be as immediate as possible with your approval. Don't wait! Always be specific about what you like. Never give a back-handed compliment such as "It's about time you cleaned your room. What took you so long?" or "I noticed you took out the trash, but I had to remind you last time." You may have to hunt for a reason to compliment, but every child deserves at least one compliment per day. You may be the only person who can catch her doing something right.
- Every child deserves to go to bed each night feeling your unconditional love. The child needs to hear the words "I love you" even if he is in big trouble. Try to bridge the gap before he goes to sleep. Our emotional state when we enter the sleep cycle determines what is being stored in our memory bank.
