Did someone in your family head off to school this week? This can be an exciting new season of change as your child grows in independence as they tackle new challenges and interact with others.
However, I find that when my kids leave the lazy days of summer and enter into a more rigid school schedule, they are easily irritable and tired after a long day. Aren’t we all? Wouldn’t it be great to have a helpful tool to invite co-operation into our homes with our children?
One tool that I love, is “catching them doing good”. I always have words to say when something is wrong - “don’t touch that,” “Stop hitting him,” “why is everyone yelling?” But I can easily forget to say my child’s name in victories. “Johnny, I loved seeing you open the door for everyone when we arrived home”, “Alyssa, your hugs in the morning really start my day off the right way,” “George, you used your words when you were mad and asked for help instead of hitting.” “Joey, thank you for washing your hands and keeping our home clean from germs.” When we catch our children doing good, we want to point out that little moment why they are special to us.
Maybe as parents we are waiting for the day when our child wakes up and does everything the “right way”. However, when we catch them doing good, we can enjoy their learning process, rather than just waiting for their behaviour to be perfect. This sends a very important message to your child; you are saying, “you are a special and unique person and such an important part of our family”.
Try it! Let me know in the comments below if, when you pointed out what your child was doing right, if he was motivated to go after “more right”.
Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash