How many phrases did your parents use to get you to shape up as a kid?
- “Would you like a spanking?”
- “I mean it!”
- “Don’t make me repeat myself!”
- “Knock it off!”
- “Go your room!”
- “You are cruising for a bruising.”
Why parents say some of those things, I have no idea. What child has ever said, “Yes, Mom! I want a spanking!” Despite how ineffective some of those phrases are, they easily roll off your tongue sometimes. I get it.
Threats may work in that they may get your child to not act up. But they don’t work in terms of creating a connected, caring relationship.
If you want your kids to be able to come to you with anything one day in what feels like the far-off future, then this is where it starts: by what you say and do now. All of those phrases that they hear over and over helps them to know that you really do care and you really are there for them.
In this week’s positive parenting video, we’re going to take a closer look at assertive discipline– the key to building that kind of relationship. You’ll learn some tips on how to prevent behaviors, and others strategies on what to do when those undesired behaviors come out of hiding.
(And just for a fun trip down memory lane, I would love for you to share below some of the phrases that you heard growing up from parents. Sometimes I wonder if there is some secret handbook, because many of them say the same things.)
Can’t see the video? Click here to view it on the website, or here to view it on YouTube.