Sometimes it’s hard to step out of our almighty “parent shoes” and understand why our little ones are acting a certain way. It’s a lot easier to judge & correct them, then it is to stop & empathize with them…imagining what it must be like to be their age & be experiencing such strong emotions.

Redirecting Children’s Behavior teaches us to dig deep to try to empathize with our kids, no matter what kind of behavior they’re exhibiting. This isn’t the same thing as condoning. It doesn’t mean accepting behavior that is disrespectful or un-safe….it simply means stopping for a few seconds (or minutes) to try and picture ourselves in their shoes, before we act or speak. A simple statement such as “Wow, I can see you’re really sad. I’d be sad too if I wanted to play with that toy and my sister still had it”…or to a teenager, “I can see your’e really mad at me. I know this must be really hard for you right now”, goes really, really far when trying to create closeness and problem resolution in a family.

And the cool thing is, it WORKS! It does wonders to lighten the air, relax shoulders, create closeness & encourage cooperation. Kids naturally step closer to us & consider talking about the problem, once they feel heard & understood.

It takes practice (and more and more practice), but exercising this “empathy muscle” and learning about all the ways you can use it in parenting is well worth your time!

Join me for my next Redirecting Children’s Behavior Class starting either Sept. 18th (Playwerx) or Oct. 8th (Aspirations School of Learning). Hope to see you there!

—

Wendy Snyder ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fresh Start Parenting 619-379-9379 FreshStartParentingRCB.com [email protected]

*”Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!! ~Dr. Seuss”*