School is not the only place where children learn. Parents and children can learn a lot about life and each other by tackling the back-to-school preparation process together. Whether you started preparing for back-to-school on July 2nd or you start preparing a few days before the school bell rings, these tips will help keep you all smiling from start to finish.
As human beings, we are often predisposed to pay increased attention when situations are not unfolding as we had hoped, rather than noticing when they are. Within the parenting space, this frequently translates into acknowledging and addressing children’s negative behaviors rather than offering feedback and praise when children are making positive choices. Unfortunately, when parents focus exclusively on addressing negative behaviors, this pattern can undermine the quality of the parent-child relationship while communicating to children that it is their missteps, rather than their successes, that warrant the attention of people in their lives.
Imagine a little girl, not even two years old, walking up to you in a hall at the Children’s Hospital, hand in hand with a police officer. She has red eyes. Her hair is tangled and uneven. She has a goose egg on her head, and marks around her legs. The smiley face earrings you spot in her ears make her innocence shine through in this terrible moment.
For many parents, yelling has become a normal part of our daily routine. But recent studies show that harsh verbal discipline may be as harmful as physical punishment, especially for adolescents. Moreover, when mom and dad yell often, children of all ages are likely to tune out our reprimands and requests. So what is an overwhelmed parent to do? Next time you feel the urge to yell, keep your cool - and maintain a positive connection with your kids - by resorting to one of the following alternatives instead.
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