Jul 10
10
My Recipe for Effective Parenting
My Recipe for Effective Parenting
By Ask Yiayia-Becky Kapsalis
A Barrel of Trust
A Bushel of Patience
A Gallon of Faith
A Liter of Understanding
A Quart of Respect
A Pint of Humor
Combine all ingredients. Blend with consistency. Stir well to form a ball of love.
Stiff out jealousies, guilt, resentments, anger and frustrations.
Pour in Encouragement; Soften with decency;
Shape into equal parts of caring, humility, inspiration and communication;
Place in lightly coated heartfelt holder;
Sprinkle with fondness and affection.
Bake in high degree of common sense until bubbles of positive parenting form,
Serves a loving family. Preserved for life.
Whether we can cook or not, the above recipe will prepare us to empower our children to
look for the best within themselves; to experience their self-worth; to envision their
future; to never to say ‘if only’. Even if we aren’t equipped with all the ingredients
all the time, they have an eternal shelf life we can tap into as needed. It’s up to us to keep our pantry well stocked.
Our children (the benefactors of our recipe), in turn, have a right to; be loved
unconditionally; cry when they are hurt; be considered disciples; be given choices; be
treated with firmness and consistency; be a part of family decisions; not be evaluated or
judged; be respected; be taught how to behave; be allowed to make mistakes; be treated
fairly; accept responsibility; be spoken to-not talked at; separate wants from needs; be
held accountable; understand limits imposed by family values and, finally, speak to
others as they would speak to themselves.
My first hand experience in dealing with problematic children has re-enforced the
importance of effective communication. Even the worst case scenario proves that communicating and disciplining the behavior rather than the child results in the child accepting responsibility for their behavior while trusting us to help them recognize their own emotional intelligence.
Today is Your Day!
