Think Before You Respond To Your Child
Antoinette Steyn • May 26, 2022
We all find it difficult sometimes to not react in the heat of the moment. We even encounter moments as parents where we blurt out things we never intended to say with a tone of voice we often don’t even recognise as our own. In order to help us from impulsively reacting toward the behaviour of our children, we can pause and ask ourselves some of the following questions:
- Will the way I respond now break my child’s spirit or teach them something valuable?
- Will my response ensure that I still keep my child’s trust?
- Would I like it/how will I feel when someone responds to me in the way I am about to respond to my child?
- What will the way I respond to my child right now teach him/her?
- What is the aim of my response and what do I hope to get from my response?
- Will my response be an age-appropriate response?
- Will my response show respect and kindness towards my child?
- Is my response helpful and are the things I expect from my child communicated clearly?
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