Something really irked me this morning. A parent cussed out their child causing their child to be upset during the week where there are these BIG IMPORTANT STATE TESTS.
Parents - YOU are the role model for your child. If your child cusses, they've probably heard it from YOU. Cussing at your child for misbehavior is NOT solving the problem, but rather upsetting your child in ways you don't even know. I don't care if your child is in pre-k or is almost 18, you DO NOT cuss out your child!!!!
I often talk about ways to get children to behave, but what if the parent is the one that is out of control? Stories pepper the news with titles like "Parent arrested for threatening a bus driver" or "Mother slapped a child that was not hers." Whatever happened to personal responsibility? The blame shifts from person to person, but no one ever takes responsibility. As a parent, you are in control of the situation at hand and you are often the one who can be the biggest advocate for your child or cause the most harm to your child.
Your child looks up to you!!!! REMEMBER THAT!!!!
I am not saying that children never misbehave or do not deserve to be disciplined, but think about HOW you are treating your child when it comes to discipline. Is it fair and unbiased? Is the discipline going to harm your child more than help them? I'm not saying you need to pussyfoot around the issues either. Strong positive discipline works better than negative discipline and can take a child further in life. Having a child accept responsibility for their actions in a positive manner rather than making them afraid of the consequences for their behavior will bring about responsible adults instead of adults who deny everything because they don't want to face the reality.
EMF's "Children" really brings this home.
Be a Role Model!
The Bus Driver
