Practice Not Perfect

This week our podcast shares the reality that sometimes as parents we lose our cool. We’ll share how to get back and reconnect with our children after our emotions get the best of us.

A Zero to Three National Parent Survey revealed that 40% of parents reported they wished they could do a better job of not yelling or raising their voice so quickly with their children. Of parents who say they use harsh punishment frequently, 77% share that they don’t think it’s one of the most effective methods of discipline.

Zero to Three also reminds us that sometimes we have a disconnect in our expectations and the child’s abilities. This ‘expectation gap’ may lead to frustration on both the adult and child’s part. The reality here is that sometimes as parents, our emotions become hijacked and our logical thinking goes out the door. When we find ourselves ‘flipping our lid’ it is important that we have tools in our parenting toolbox to regain our self-control.

Two tools that are referenced in this week’s podcast include: mindful parenting (noticing our own feelings, learning to pause, and listening carefully to the child’s point of view) and the 4 A’s of Communication Recovery (accept, acknowledge, apologize, adjust).

Remember, parenting is about our overall relationship with our child- and we talk about practice, not perfection. We know there is no such thing as a perfect parent but we CAN make a plan for how we will reconnect when our emotions get the best of us.

Lori Korthals, M.S.

Mother of three. Lover of all things child development related. Fascinated by temperament and brain development. Professional background with families, child care providers, teachers and community service entities.

More Posts

One thought on “Practice Not Perfect

  1. As parents, we also learn with time that handling kids with more love and less punishment works better. At the same time, it is alright to attach expectations with our children and it is equally fine helping them achieve the targets, but this process should involve them right from the beginning; and, we should be prepared to accept and respect their choices as what matters the most is the happiness their success brings to us at the end.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *