At six-and-a-half, my daughter appears to be growing into a mature, caring person. She expresses her feelings and shows compassion for others. (I‘ve even witnessed her self-regulate TV time!) Something’s apparently working, and when I consider how we raise our daughter, I suspect these six tools have been effective in her emotional development.
1. Listen With Respect
Everybody wants to be heard. This is even truer for kids whose emotions and ideas spill out at warp speed. Constantly undermining that with “Be quiet” or “Not now” dismisses the equal importance of what they have to say.
This requires really listening to what happened in school today or the detailed account of last night’s dream. Asking specific questions (“So how big was this tutu-wearing purple monster?”) demonstrates caring.
It’s a heady feeling when we have someone’s full attention. Kids feel it and blossom from it.
Click here to read the rest of my article over at Shalom Mama. I talk about five more tools on promoting positive discipline in your family. (Hint: forced apologies aren’t effective.)
