Relational Parenting
"When children feel emotionally connected to their parents and the parents use this bond to help kids regulate their feelings and solve problems, good things happen" - John Gottman, PhD 'Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child'.
No matter where you're at in your parenting journey, from expecting your first to a house full of teenagers, it always comes down to the relationship you are building with your child.
Parenting is not easy and it quite honestly demands everything from us, and more. I truly believe that children need the best version of us and when they arrive, we are not usually that version! I personally was shocked at how impatient and grumpy I was when my sleep was suddenly disrupted and a tiny baby needed my utter and total devotion. I really thought I was a nice person before I had kids!
As funny as it sounds - this realization is a gift; we're invited into deep and meaningful change. Our children invite us on a journey, and if we're willing to engage we become something more than we even thought we could be; their need for our best and our capacity to keep stretching and becoming what they need is a dance that ultimately cultivates more patience and depth in our own inner life.
When it comes to practical issues, here are some common situations where we as parents often need support:
Smoothing out daily routines and finding better rhythms (getting ready for school in the morning; after school time for family, homework and dinner; bedtime)
Conflict management - avoiding power struggles and problem solving together; frequent conflicts with siblings
Personal emotional regulation as the parent
Child's completion of daily tasks like homework, chores and preparing for the next day
Re-establishing family culture and what you want life at home to feel like (warm, intimate, open and emotionally safe)