‘I hate my new mirror that makes me look fat. But I’ve realised my other mirror that makes me look skinny also isn’t helpful.’ Val Mullally discusses what this has to do with our children’s behaviour
‘You’ve just had a melt-down!’ In this article my colleague Patricia Martin Ph.D. discusses strategies for recentering yourself after you’ve disintegrated into a screaming match with your tantruming child.
Even positive labels like ‘good girl’ can be unhelpful for our children. Val Mullally discusses the dangers of labelling our children.
Pay attention to how your child explains his successes and failures. She may need your guidance in modifying that view.
Learning how to deal with mistakes and setbacks is extremely worthwhile throughout life. There has been an overemphasis on immediate achievement, to the exclusion of the value of effort and hard work. When children experience frustration over their attempts at a new skill, the aware parent can use this as an opportunity to persevere.
“I hate you!” Spat from the mouth of the toddler or teenager, those words can erode the confidence of any parent.
It’s tempting to react. Fight back or disappear into our own shell when so blatantly under attack.
Anita’s song captures all our mothering worries, whether we say them out loud or if they’re the thoughts chasing through our heads. Mothers seem to be programmed to be continually asking questions about the child’s welfare.
We forget these questions have a ‘sell-by’ date.
Anita Renfroe’s exaggeration in the ‘Mum Song’ is glorious.
If we were to record our morning serenade would we hear a similar monologue?
Supermum runs round doing everything for this child. Imagine this same child on her first day at school. Where’s Mummy?
Today in ‘The Guardian’ Zoe Williams’ is fed up with the clashes of parenting ‘gurus’. Parenting is tough enough without this type of “’dagger-on-a thread’ hectoring”. Here’s my different, and potentially more helpful perspective.
