Parents…
STOP ASKING
Your children
(Especially the littles)
What they want
From you
Parents…
START TELLING
Your children
(The ones you are still responsible for)
What you want
From them
Children are looking to you
For guidance
Boundaries
Direction
They need that to feel safe
Children are watching your behavior
So that they know how to behave
So they know what to do
So they discover what they want
So they learn how to go for it
They learn this from watching you
Children are paying attention to how
You speak
What you say
When you say it
And to whom
They are wired to copy that
Way of being
Inside and outside
Of your house
Forever more
They learn this by listening to you
They need to see, hear and observe you
FIRST
So that they may become
Mini versions of you
With their own little sense of self
Sprinkled in there too
It’s what they crave
It’s how they operate
It’s how the become
Competent individuals
Out in the world
They learn this by following you
When you place their needs
Wants and desires
In front of yours
And everyone else
In ear shot of your
Acquiescing
You show them
What insecurity looks like
You scare them into thinking
They are the ones who are in control
For if that is the case
They intrinsically know
You all are in trouble
Cause they are very aware
They just do not know how
To navigate their surroundings
They know they are dependent
Upon you
And if you are not showing up
Confidently for the job at hand
The ship is going down
This does not mean
Be controlling
Dictating
Condescending
Dismissive
This does not mean
You don’t listen
You don’t engage
You don’t validate who they are
What they want
Where they want to go
That is different from you
They are people too
This does mean
Be a parent
Be in charge
Have a sense of where you are going
How you want to get there
Be clear in the communication
Be strong in your delivery
Be flexible with the rules
Own your faults and mistakes
Notice their reactions
How they rise
How they fall
Was it due to how you spoke
Was it due to how you didn’t
Meet them where you both are
While being the parent to them
You wish you would have had
While allowing yourself to
Relax
Breathe
Become
The best version of you
For them
To become too
