Ask yourself during times of power-struggle: “What could my child be trying to communicate with me?” Have positive self-talk!
There are 4 primary methodologies of Communication
Commands vs. Questions
– Kid’s respond a lot better to questions, than they do to commands
Compliance Statements vs. Choices
– Kid’s will respond a lot better when you empower them through choices
– Choices should become a consistent language in your house because they engage critical thinking skills and fill our kids “needs bucket” (this aides in decreasing misbehavior)
Verbal vs. Non-verbal
– Sometimes the best type of communication to dissolve power struggles is silence or at least one word
– Models self-control
– Nagging makes it your problem, silence makes it theirs
Rushed vs. Patient
– Our daily pace is causing a lot of problems in many of our lives
– Days are often so jam packed that we feel like don’t have time to stop what we are doing and sit down on the ground to work things out with our kids
– Everyday is a fresh start and a chance to allow our kids to teach us how to slow down
So as parent’s let’s try to ask our kids questions, give them choices, bite our tongues and show patience. We all need love and a lot of grace!
Sarah Caudle, PA-C
