I'm the mother of an 8 year old girl. From a sweet little angel, she's fast becoming a terror I'm having to match my wits against everyday. My husband usually takes her side, believing I shouldn't try to discipline her too much, that I'm way too stern, I should try to see more humour in the situation, etc.. etc. And sometimes, in my thoughtful moments, I question myself if I'm doing too much or perhaps too little. I've spoken to the parents of similarly aged kids, haunted Google day and night, spoken to family and friends, and yet time and again only one truth has stood out. Every kid has to be disciplined! For his or her own good.
Check out what this website says:
https://www.verywellfamily.com/surprising-reasons-why-we-need-to-discipline-children-620115
Also, check out this website to find your parenting style:
https://my.vanderbilt.edu/developmentalpsychologyblog/2013/12/types-of-parenting-styles-and-how-to-identify-yours/
I discovered that I was authoritative but am unfortunately becoming slightly authoritarian these days. Guess sadly, but honestly I need to watch myself too so I don't end up causing more harm than good.
I've got myself a few books on parenting too. I'm going to start with the one, Playful Parenting. I'll review it once I finish reading it, set some goals and hopefully get some results. Till then to all parents of young children, please keep one thought in your mind. We were children once. Where are we today, thanks to our parents and our education, attitude and experiences? Fast forward to the future, how would we like your grown up children to feel about themselves and the role we played? And exactly how did we play our role?
Thanks for reading...
Here's a finishing quote: Don't stop when you are tired. Stop when you are done.