Perspectives can change our emotional responses dramatically.
Human beings are emotional creatures and being a parent often magnifies those feelings. Watching a nameless child hit a home run is not nearly as exciting as watching your own child hit a run. A child failing miserably on a science test is no big deal either until it is your child.
Looking back at my own parenting fails, I cringe yet thinking about things I may have said as I discovered vegetables stashed between cushions or a video with its film pulled out into a pile. “Oh my God look what you did!”
I think of those wide-eyed faces of my little girls not knowing what might come next. I cannot bring myself to think how scared they must have been and how this moment was imprinted into their memories. I wonder, did I get to Parents Anonymous soon enough?
From attending the Parents Anonymous support meetings I learned there are ‘safety-net tricks’ a parent can put in place to prevent those ‘Oh my God’ moments. One trick I used was the image of Lady Justice with her scales of truth and fairness that would weigh the value of my child against any object or incident like my favorite yellow plate that was broken, the black paint that was spilled on the new mauve carpet or my daughter’s name scratched into the paint on my new car.
Without a doubt, folks, when I compare the value of my child with an object, accident, or mistake, believe me, my child is going to come out on top, hands down. Nothing will ever mean as much to me as my children.
Have you ever discovered a damaged item or mess caused by your child? Just how mad were you? Were you angry enough to need a safety-net trick? Do you have anger issues? You find yourself getting angry or upset at things of small importance. Your heart pounds, respiration increases and adrenaline floods your veins. Count to ten – to a hundred by twos. Got your safety net in place?
You can never be too prepared.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to