How do you feel when your kids misbehave? When I ask parents this question during classes, the most common responses are feelings of anger, frustration and discouragement.
If you're like most parents, when your kids misbehave you experience powerful, negative feelings. If you choose to act in the moment, you are likely to come up with your worst parenting responses. You may find yourself:
- Yelling at your kids - "I'm never taking you here again!" (even though you probably will be going back to the grocery store at some point)
- Threatening them - "I'll just leave you here!" (even though it is actually against the law to abandon your kids at McDonalds)
- Saying things you soon regret and they don't forget - "You are a disgrace to our family!" (even though you really don't mean it)
- Hitting them (even though you swore you'd never do that)
Ouch! Why are these types of responses so easy to fall into?
Responding with Fight or Flight
When you get upset with your kids, your body is triggered into a fight or flight response.
(Read the rest of the article on Priceless Parenting)