TIP OF THE WEEK- By Lillian Reekie

TIP 6-

Treat your children like a well respected visitor or guest in your home.*

If you pay your children the common courtesy you would a respected guest in your home it is highly likely that it will be reciprocated. The more you treat your children this way the more they will want to treat you the same. We use this courtesy in most instances when dealing with other adults at work or in social situations, so why not with our children?

*Think of a situation in YOUR life when you HAVE NOT been treated with respect. It may have been by a parent, a teacher, a spouse, a sibling, a friend, a co worker or a boss or superior at work. How did you feel? or How would you imagine feeling if you have had the good fortune of never being treated this way? Did you or would you respond positively to being treated this way? Would you want to cooperate and be helpful?

Now imagine how your child may feel if they are being controlled, belittled, yelled at or even told they are hopeless or useless etc. Imagine how they feel if they are not given the opportunity to voice THEIR opinion or thoughts, if they are TOLD what to do and ordered around like a slave*. Do you think they would want to be the most cooperative and have the best and loving attitude?

Think about the words/tone you use and how they come across to your child and then ask yourself... “Is that the way I would like to be spoken to?”

*Slavery is asking or making someone do something without saying please. It is expecting obedience. A slave has only one purpose in life, and that’s to destroy the master.(from conversations with Frank in The Revolting Child book)