As a parent you’re a powerful role-model for your child. Babies are born with millions of ‘mirror’ neurons so they can mirror and mimic what they see and hear in the world. Perhaps you’ve cringed when you’ve accidently used an inappropriate word in front of your child and they’ve repeated it back to you or in front of others. Embarrassing right? So, by the same token, if you scream at your children, you can expect them to scream back at you - as you’ve just shown them how to behave in the world.
I’m a busy working parent, so I know it’s not always easy to stay calm when you’re trying to get everything done and have a successful family-work life. BUT, I also know that when I lose my temper and yell at our child – it’s a LOSE- LOSE situation. I feel bad, my child feels bad and I don’t resolve the issue. One practical way to becoming a calmer parent is to prepare in advance. You know the situations that set you off, so instead of coming up against the same fight day in day out, why not take 5 mins to think of a new approach. If it’s getting out of the house in the morning – what can you do with the kids to prepare the night before? If it’s about eating healthy meals, how can you involve the kids in selecting and preparing meals to take the fight out of it and take some of the burden from you?