Do you ever feel like you spend every moment with your child warning them (stop! You’ll get hurt!”), redirecting them (“let’s play with our OWN ball, not his…”), or saying no (“first eat your peas…”)? It’s easy to let the burden of instructing your child overshadow the joy of being with your child! We all want great, compassionate, well-behaved children.
Switch out some of your common parenting phrases to put a positive spin to challenging moments!
Choices, even between two things they must do anyway, help your child feel empowered!
For a young child, even seemingly small tasks can feel insurmountable. Extend their endurance by helping them reflect on their progress, not just anticipate the end of an activity!
A child who doesn’t have great command of language and vocabulary can become very frustrated when trying to communicate their needs. Instead of focusing on the object of their frustration, get on their level and connect by genuinely and compassionately offering to help.