Are you Reactive or Responsive?

How do you respond to your child's behaviour?

I'm not here to judge anyone, I'm a parent too remember, we are all human and parenting can be tough at times. By responding to children's behaviour appropriately it can massively develop your child's brains, taking lessons from you and the way you respond to them can help mould future situations.

A reactive parent reacts to behaviour with their own emotions which often happens like an automatic response. A responsive parent reads the situation & responds to it intentionally, possibly through a pre-discussed approach.

Both methods are used with children, including my own at times, but research shows there are significant benefits to being responsive with your child during episodes of unwanted behaviours. A child will engage far more readily through a thoughtful approach to behaviour, but most of all, they learn what you want them to learn as a result. In most cases, the unwanted behaviour decreases and brings about better long term scenarios.

Discipline should be about teaching, never punishing. If you can see every meltdown & every outburst of anger as an opportunity to teach your child valuable life long lessons and strengthen your connection with them, you are giving your child an amazing gift they too can use long into their future!