Do your kids stress you out? Do you find yourself becoming anxious when you think about their behavior, and how it might impact their future? Do your children know how to “push your buttons” and draw you into an argument?
If so, you're not alone. While parenting has its rewards and joys, it can also be exhausting, frustrating and challenging. Many parents wish they could have a peaceful home with less conflict and more understanding.
What's the most effective way to learn how to be a calm parent? Believe it or not, it starts with focusing more on yourself and less on your kids. You have the most control over yourself and your response to a given situation.
Learn positive parenting tips and calm parenting techniques in these articles from Empowering Parents.
Kids grow up watching you for a living, and let’s face it, they learn pretty quickly how to push your buttons. It might be back talk, or constant complaining or eye-rolling, but whatever the behavior, nearly every parent will occasionally lose their temper with their kids. Many parents control their emotions most of the time. However,... Read more »
When your child is making poor choices and acting out, it’s easy to let shame eat you up inside. You wonder, “Where have I gone wrong as a parent? Why is he behaving this way?" And, "What must other people be thinking?” The danger here is that these feelings can create a negative cycle. When... Read more »
If you need your child to behave for you to be calm, then you give your child tremendous power. They now control your emotions, and you feel overwhelmed and powerless. You will be much more effective as a parent if you can stay calm no matter what. “Calm?! How am I supposed to be calm when... Read more »
You know the drill: Your child is screaming at you, ignoring you, being irresponsible or hurtful. Suddenly, you’re yelling at the top of your lungs, matching him decibel for decibel. Later, you think, “Why did I fly off the handle again? I’m so tired of letting him push my buttons so easily.” Yelling is a natural... Read more »
“I can’t take it anymore. My child is so disrespectful to me—especially in front of other people. I feel like a failure as a parent.” “My teen is failing three classes. She’s throwing her life away. I’m so worried about her I can’t sleep.” “My kid makes me crazy. He’s so angry and hardheaded. He always has... Read more »
Sometimes we parents don’t think we are anxious because we are not trembling in our boots. Often there is no visible sign of how anxious we are. Yet when we look inside our heads, we notice that we spend a lot of time thinking about our kids—sometimes scary thoughts about things that haven’t even happened.... Read more »
