This week we talked a lot about how to communicate with our children, and how to do so effectively. I think the biggest thing that I learned was how important respect is in our relationship. We know how important it is for children to be respectful to their parents, but it is also very important that parents be respectful to their children. It is like the Golden Rule- treat others the way that you would want to be treated. It is our duty as parents to prepare our children to live in the world; to teach them values, how to treat people, and how to be successful.
We need to create an environment in which they are comfortable talking to us about their problems, and even if they don't want to talk about them in that moment, establishing that caring pattern is important. They need to know that they can come back and talk to us later when they need to; this lets them know that you will be there for them no matter what. Being there to support and strengthen our children, especially in their positive goals, is our privilege as a parent; for parenting is about teaching children, not punishing them.
There is so much more I could talk about, but instead of making this a four-foot long entry, I will just refer you to Michael Popkin's book Active Parenting of Teens.
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