FYL 004: 6 Parenting Truths to Remember

Subscribe to the Freshen Your Life Podcast:

1. I can’t be perfect. It is so easy to get wrapped up in being an Instagram/Pinterest “perfect” parent but remember that loving your children, loving each other and being present is the best gift you can give your children. Being perfect isn’t humanly possible but being vulnerable and humble are more important traits to have.
2. It doesn’t matter that I’m not perfect. Children do not admire the “perfect” parent without any sort of struggle. They admire the parent who struggles somewhat and grows from it. Again, it is unrealistic to be perfect and it isn’t relatable to even portray that you are a perfect parent. Love yourself and learn from the mistakes you make, none of us have the secret to being perfect.
3. Acknowledging my child’s feelings and my own allows us to reconnect. Discounting your child’s feelings does not help to settle the situation. You should acknowledge their feelings but help them to redirect the feelings. For instance, if they are mad or upset because their sibling took a toy you can say, “I know if upsets you when your sister takes your toy but how about you play with a different toy”.
4. Downtime for everyone is critical. Everyone needs a time out to allow emotions to simmer down a bit. A parent might get frustrated with their child because they are tired or haven’t eaten or something so simple. Taking a few minutes to yourself allows you to analyze the situation.
5. Start each day as a new day. One of my favorite words of advice is to never go to sleep mad. Don’t hold grudges, let the new day start as just that. Everyone deserves to start fresh.
6. Talk to someone. For a lot of decisions, talking to someone and getting a second opinion can help to keep your emotions out of the decisions you make and helps to realize and see the situation from a different perspective. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the moment and our emotions get the best of us and we can say and do things that we might regret later.