While your children should treat you with respect and show you that they appreciate you, they shouldn’t wait on you hand and foot. For some reason, we tend to think that our kids have to do everything we ask of them, and that’s just not realistic.
You are the one who brought your kids into the world, but that doesn’t mean that you own them. They are still human beings and shouldn’t be treated as if they’re property. I know parenting is hard and doesn’t come with instructions, but instead of being hard on your kids, you should be doing your best to make their lives better.
When you’re frustrated and getting worked up, don’t lash out and yell at your kids, give them space. Walk away and come back to the situation when you’re calmed down. Talk things out when you’re both able to do so without making things worse.
Sure, you might be quite angry at the disrespect your child (or children) show you, but that disrespect is not something you should immediately freak out about. Sometimes it comes from a place grounded in truth. Perhaps you’re not respecting the people you helped make, and they too are feeling as if things need to change?
One of the hardest things about being a parent is finding a good balance between being tough and being fun. You want your kids to grow properly and flourish in all areas, right? This including their emotional world. They shouldn’t be bottling things or going through life feeling like they have no one to talk to.
I am sure you remember what it was like when you were younger and how hard your parents made things for you. Do you want that to repeat with your own children? When you’re helping them move through life, you need to do so from a place of healing and compassion, not from a place of anger and distance.
One of the most important things we can learn through growing up ourselves is just how unique the process can be. Nothing is the same for any of us, and we all go through experiences that we might not be able to find words to describe. The more you treat your kids as possessions, the more they will lash out as they get older. They will fight tooth and nail to prove to you that they are their own people.
Wouldn’t you rather your children grow up with a proper sense of self? Don’t turn your kids into a version of yourself or force them to live the life you wanted to live but didn’t get the chance to. Let them make their own choices and see where their creative minds take them. They are capable of a lot more than you might think.
For a little more insight on this topic please check out the video below. we made them, and we love them, but they are still human beings with minds of their own. We should treat them as such, their thoughts and opinions matter.