Today on the Friday 5 I’m talking honestly about something not everyone wants to talk about…whether or not each of us is relying on fear, force, bribery & rewards in our daily parenting walk? As you ask yourself this question, remember, self-reflection & honest internal spotlights don’t have to be interrogating and negative, but they often ARE eye opening!

Culture has created a pretty powerful myth that tells us that if we don’t have “control” over our children, we are weak and never going to be respected. Society has normalized bribery & rewards, but then left parents feeling frustrated & ill-equipped to deal with teenagers who are entitled with the “what’s in it for me?” attitude. Lack of support for young families has created a world that falls back on actions and words that motivate young children based on scaring them into submission instead of inspiring them to step into all the glory they were designed to be.

Sometimes when it comes to parenting, what’s been handed down to us or gifted to us by culture, ends up not aligning with our own moral compasses (our hearts), but we keep drudging forward in the mud because we just don’t know what else to do.

But there’s good news!

Families no longer have to feel “stuck in the mud” and like they “HAVE to” use fear, force, bribery & rewards to get through life with their kids. With the abundance of programs available to parents these days, families really CAN choose to steer themselves in any direction they wish.

Dr. Seuss & his quote on this helps us to remember this truth. We are smart cookies & there’s just no reason to keep ourselves in the darkness any longer after we realize that the parenting patterns we’re consistently walking in could be much more effective, joyful & in line with our STRONG belief systems. (By the way, Dr. Seuss would have been 118 today…It’s his birthday!)

Now don’t worry, when you commit to adding positive parenting tools to your toolkit, you are NOT committing or even signing up for an expectation of perfection in your home. Perfection just doesn’t exist in families or the world. You ARE committing to learning..to responsibility…to empowerment & to respect. And when these things increase in homes, BOOM…seeds get planted that end up blooming into the most glorious fields of flowers that your dreams are made of!

Are you willing to be honest and come to the table ready to learn? I promise you the gifts are massive!

Jump in and commit to learning new ways today!