DAY THREE - Have a New Kid by Friday by Kevin Leman

Wednesday with Kevin Leman:

Life is speeding by like sand through an hourglass.  You can't afford NOT to take advantage of the time that you have.  Sometimes your job will be tedious and boring (like laundry, over and over).  Other times the pace will be breakneck, especially when your children are young or involved in a lot of activities.

*Remember that what your children think about you at any one particular moment isn't necessarily what they will think about you for life.  If you are calm, you are consistent, and you always do what you say you're going to, you will earn their respect and trust.  But it won't happen overnight.

Take a Look Down the Road

Bestselling author and business consultant, Stephen Covey, has a great perspective.  If you want something, start with the end in mind, he says.
In other words, if you want your child to be kind, teach your child to be kind now.  If you want them to be responsible, teach them responsibility now.  If you want your child to enjoy spending time with you, start now in setting aside nonpressured time to spend with her/him instead of getting caught up in the rat race of constant activity.

What 3 qualities do you want your child to have?  What steps can you take now to encourage these qualities in your child?

If you want your child to be a healthy, well-adjusted adult, you need to realize just how important you are in the picture.  Your child needs not only your attention but also a relationship with you.

What Kind of Parent Are You?

*There are 3 types of parents, what kind of parent you are has a lot do with the way your child responds to you.  Dr. Leman discusses this in his book Making Children Mind without Losing Yours.  The 3 types are Permissive, Authoritarian and Authoritative.  In a nutshell, the Authoritative Parent majors on the relationship and minors on everything else.  I highly recommend these books for more details on how to be the parent you want to be.

*You can't run a family by rules if there is no connection between family members.  If you try, you will always have adversarial relationships.
*Children need to know that you are on their team.
*You don't need a PhD. You don't need a lot of money.  You have all you need.  The biggest secret of all:  your child wants to please you.
*Every once in awhile slip your child a commercial.  Let your children overhear you praising them.
*Parent:  you hold all the aces.
*What kind of legacy are you going to leave your children?  If you want them to be healthy, independent thinkers who are kind and giving to others, now is the time to start.  And you can start by changing yourself.

What to do on Wednesday?

1.  What kind of parenting style do you have?
2.  How does your child respond to this parenting style?
3.  How can you adapt your parenting style to be more balanced?
4.  In what ways can you emphasize relationship in your home?

You Go For It Mama!!!