The following post is written by Steady Mom's monthly contributor, Hillary.
Think about it. Your very stubborn (and cute) two-year-old (five-year-old, eight-year-old) has put their foot down.
They absolutely, without a doubt will not wear that shirt (go to the post office, brush their teeth, kiss Grandma hello).
You stand head to head. Both of you with your strong wills, desires and good reasons of wanting what you want.
You know that shirt has smuck on it (this bill needs to be mailed today, we don't want cavities, and we need to respect and love Grandma).
They feel like a super-hero in their favorite shirt and the smuck doesn't bother them (they're sick of doing errands and don't want to interrupt their play, who the heck even knows what a cavity is, and they resent being forced to show affection when they don't feel like it).
Now imagine that your child stops, reassess the situation and adjusts their stance."Sure mom-- I'll change my shirt for dinner with the neighbors."
("I'll come to the post office and bring my great attitude. I'll brush my teeth and take your word that it's important and sure I'll kiss Grandma--I know it means a lot to her.")
Ahhhhhh....wouldn't life be wonderful?
Wouldn't our heart just swell with relief as we melted into the joy that comes from a cooperative relationship?
Let's turn it around. What if we as parents stopped every now and again, reassessed and adjusted our stance?
Where in our world can we bend to make our child's life flow a little easier? Where are the places we can gift them with cooperation even if we've already taken a stand?
Humility and flexibility are much greater lessons to pass along than a rigid, "I can't go back on my word.....I already said no."
How can we as parents model flexibility and cooperation as valuable and important life skills?
Hillary
is a thoughtful mother, loving wife, and a conscientious cook and
consumer. She
credits her two boys (& a baby on the way!) to her ever expansive
knowledge base and blogs about mindful family living at infinitelearners.com.
