Three Magic Parenting Words: I Love You
July 2nd, 2007 by admin
Three Magic Parenting Words: I Love You
by Solomon Brenner
In good parenting there are three magic words to live by: I love you. Saying these words over and over again is very important to get you through the hard times and to get your children over the hurdles in life. Many times parents do not realize the strong influence of these words. Children who grow up never hearing them can end up bitter and may have very difficult relationship problems, including but not limited to an inability to say the words themselves. Even if you know that your children know you love them, continue to remind them, even when your children become teenagers. They may not respond to it or even seem to care that you are saying it, but the words are sticking. Saying “I love you” is only half the battle. You also have to show “I love you.” A kiss, a hug, a small sacrifice or a small favor may be all that it takes to show that you mean these words. It may seem simple, but there are times in life when this will take incredible patience, time and unfaltering dedication and sacrifice to follow through. Sometimes love means saying no. You feel an obligation to protect your child from harm, and if that means preventing your child from doing some of the things he or she wants to do, then so be it. Life can be dangerous and unpredictable. Saying no is a sign that you will accept your children’s anger in exchange for your comfort that they are safe and for the knowledge that they are likely to be healthier in the long run. Their anger will not last for long but the good that comes from saying no will impact the kind of people they turn out to be. When your children misbehave, they need to experience consequences, but they also always need to know that you still love them. This does not belittle the impact of the lesson, but rather cements the message that you are not punishing them out of anger, hate or impatience. Though your children may not want to hear it, you are doing it for their own good to teach them the difference between right and wrong. It may feel unrewarding to hear your child’s anger at something you did out of love, but rest easy knowing that one day they will thank you for it, even if it is not until they have children of their own. Even when your children are doing things you don’t like, respect them and love them. When your daughter wears too much makeup or your son gets his nose pierced, continue to show them that you love who they are, even if you do not always approve of their fashion choices. It is important to be supportive of your children as they try to discover who they are and who they will become. It is not worth arguing over things that hold little significance, because you will need that strength later to fight over real issues that affect your child’s well-being. There are a lot of disappointments that your children will have to bear throughout their lifetimes; do not let your love be one of them. Letting your children know that you love them could end up being their one ray of hope during the dark times in their lives. No matter what goes wrong or how bad things seem they will always know that they have the love and support of their family to fall back on. Let this love guide them through the best and worst of times.
About the Author
Solomon Brenner is an Author, speaker and columnist on success and parenting he can be reached at Actionkarate@comcast.net or 267-939-0424.
Copyright 2007.
Article Source: GoArticles.com