Who’s the boss in your home? Has your parenting collapsed?
A recent MacLean’s magazine article entitled "The Collapse of
Parenting", after Leonard Sax's new book, claims that children are the
boss in modern parenthood. It suggests that adults defer to their kids because
they've lost confidence in themselves.
One example is how parents cajole their kids to eat their vegetables by
asking "Honey, could you please do me a favor? Could you please just try
one bite of your green peas?" Dr. Sax feels parents have relinquished
their authority and he talks about taking back control of their kids. What
he doesn’t say is how to do that without shoveling peas down your child’s
throat.
In our experience, “control of the kids” isn’t the solution. Here are some
approaches for handling mealtime in a respectful way that invites cooperation:
·
“We haven’t any carrots today, just peas. We
can have carrots tomorrow if you’d like.”
·
“I can’t make you eat
them, but I think you should give the peas a try.”
·
“I see you are not hungry
anymore. I guess lunch is over.”
·
“Fruit and yogurt is the dessert for today,
ice cream is a weekend dessert in our house.”
·
“You don’t like the dinner
tonight? How about you and I plan a couple of meals that you would like.”
While we cannot make our kids eat anything they don’t want to eat, neither
can they make us give them choices we are not willing to offer.
Please call 416-944-0412 for
information on our Courses and Talks…
Parenting the Younger Child: Raising Great Parents
Preteen/Teen: Yes, You Can Have a Good
Relationship
All
the best,
Doone
& Beverley
P.S.
Early Bird Special ends April 6th!
