Shared by Bhagyashree Kavthekar
When I became a mom 10 years ago I had no idea what parenting meant or I need to learn it somewhere…
But soon I realized that my traditional methods of parenting are not helping!!
So I decided to learn about it through books, online classes and most importantly observing and discussing it with other moms.
Om was around three years old when I made this U-turn from traditional to more gentle, responsive parenting with firm boundaries.
Though it was an easy and welcome change for Om it wasn’t easy for me at all.
I needed constant reminders to keep my responses in check. Leaving in a joint family made it much harder but after almost seven years I can say it was the best decision of my life.
Let me take you how I transitioned into a calmer, responsive parent gradually…
- I tried to keep a check on my reactions to tantrums by delaying them by just a few seconds.
- I talked relentlessly about the benefits of gentle parenting to my family members, not just for them but for myself too.
- I kept reminding myself of “WHY’ I am doing what I am doing.
- Kept notes of changes in Om, How he responds to different situations.
- Communication is key to any relationship including parenting. I made sure to keep communication open to recover from any bad day.
- Boundaries and discipline is the most crucial parts of parenting and I tried different methods to adopt but most important is trying to explain everything to him with patience worked well for me.
I can’t say that I am gentle parent 100 percent of the time. Nobody can achieve that completely but just reminding yourself that you are dealing with another human who deserves respect and love same as you, makes it easier.
You can and you will recover from a bad day. Happy memories you make with your little ones are going to stay with you nothing else.
Now that Om is practically in preteens I can say treating your kids in a respectable way pays off.
Now, rather than putting pressure on myself, I focus on unlearning and learning every day.
I had always looked up to her posts and I had that ultimate respect for her when she shared the post on how she explained PPD to her son.
Reading her post made me realize that there is no “right” age to talk to ur kids about a topic.
You just have to find the way to make them explain in the language that they understand.
Shree really is a “mom with solutions”. If you have a preteen kid and struggling to match up their level or having communication gap with them.. Checkout her page shreesaysofficial to find the answers to your question.
This is a leaf from Parenting Series Chapter where I am inviting Parents to share their views on Parenting and #BuildOurParentingStyle
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are solely based on author’s experience. Please do not consider it as professional advice.