Being a parent/guardian definitely tests your tempers to the limit. There are times where you will lose your temper and end up yelling, which is okay and doesn’t make you a bad parent but if this is a common occurrence, it needs to be sorted. Here are some tips that can help in becoming a more positive parent/guardian.
Use your actions rather than your words. If you have a child that doesn’t like to listen to you (this is basically every child in the world) then use your actions. If you have told your child multiple times to pick their clothes up and put them in the laundry basket and they fail to do so then don’t wash them. This way they will soon realize that your words are to be taken seriously.
Show them how to do things. Sometimes we take for granted that what we may be asking our children to do might not be clear. It’s also very common for us to get frustrated when we tell our children to do something and they do it but not in the way we wanted it to be done. We get your frustration but remember they won’t know what to do unless they’ve been shown.
Leave conflicts calmly. If you or your child is getting angry, take a cool-down break. Leave the conflict calmly and use a phrase that is firm but still calm such as ‘ I’ll be in the other room when you want to discuss things calmly’. Not only does this save the whole screaming and shouting part of an argument, but it also sets a great example to your children on how they should handle conflicts.
The end goal is important. When in these situations where you feel, you are going to lose your temper or you can’t understand why you need to repeat yourself 8 times for your child to do something (we don’t understand it either) keep in mind that you want to parent in a manner that not just resolves the situation but alters their behaviour in the long-term. Our main goal as parents and guardians is to influence our children’s behaviour so they grow into well-mannered adults.
Check out our Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/gigiandfriendschildcarecentres
It’s important to find a balance between parenting and staying sane. Here’s how:
https://www.childcaremalta.mt/balance/