Parenthood is a blessing and we will do anything to support and help our children. Because we are multi-tasking between being a parent and working, life is busy and we have become accustomed to activity, especially through media and digital communication.
According to Blaise Pascal (Mid-17th Century French Philosopher and Mathematician) – All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone. Today, it is almost impossible to find time to self-reflect on top of everything we must do to be perceived as good parents. Is the lack of reflective parenting maybe one of the reasons we don’t act the way we want to during conflict?
What if reflective parenting is key to your child’s success, improved family relationships and healthier social interactions?
To move from reactive to reflective responses, we need to learn to improve our ability to self-reflect as parents through controlling our states of mind and relaxation.
Five-step (PFORD) reflective parenting exercise:
1. Pause
When emotions are high- press the pause button
2. Focus
Breath in deeply and get centred and present, focus on why you want to stay calm
3. Observe
Observe in a non-judgmental way
4. Reflect
Calmly reflect on the other’s behaviour
5. Decide
Take a few seconds to decide how to react to that person that will lead to a win-win situation
Applying reflective parenting can help you to be an even better parent. This can be a very exciting journey towards happy and successful children that are proud of you, with improved family relationships and healthier social interactions.
Maria Lunt 