Last night I listened to a frustrated mother describe her interactions with her teenage daughter. The mother was almost tearful when she said, “I feel terrible saying this. I love my daughter, but I don’t like her.” Wow! What parent of a teenager hasn’t occasionally felt that way? Yet when that is the primary way parents feel about interacting with their children, it is a problem that needs to be addressed. Occasionally when we are trying to deal with all the issues related to parenting, we forget to teach our children their three primary jobs. The three primary jobs of children in any family are:
1. Be fun to live with
2. Be respectful
3. Be responsible
If we can narrow parenting expectations down to these three rules, it makes it much simpler to address problem behaviors. If a child is not completing his chores, he is not being responsible. If a child is being rude, she is not being respectful. If a child is demanding and selfish, he is not being fun to live with.
In fact, those three rules are pretty good rules for parents as well as children. If we focus on being fun to be with, being respectful, and being responsible, we will be modeling some incredible behaviors for our children. Children learn what they see and live, not what they are told.
I agree with you and would want to make the most of my time left. I would also want to leave with no regrets.
I would appreciate our linking to each other’s websites if that’s ok with you!
Donna
It was so interesting story I am a Teacher of 3 grade in a private school in Kosova and I thing like you dear Dr.Beth we must thing about these children with these problems in their house we must help them in any way they need, I hope you understand my English language .
Key of a positive world and our future is NOT stop thinking of problems any problems of children in world because is not like you work with happy and loved child and from permisive family like you work with children with represive family , we must help them so early not to be late for them they are most important thing in this world but we must not just think but we must do that what is the best for them in practice , to be their live more easy and not so hard because how we educate them like infant or from prenatal periode they will be like these a factor in their social life and will grow their family in that atmosphere with a positive or negative influence in this wonderful world .
But I see that we make them like a robot and not like a human been we work, we dont have time for them to love to learn them how to live their life so lovely WE WORK ALL DAY but we dont think never for whom we do that money and everything for our robots , or for our lovely child …………………