Tips from my book “The Essential Guide to Lasting Relationships”. Dealing with children
I want to share with you five tips that I offer in my book “The Essential Guide to Lasting Relationships”. For purposes of this blog I will add additional information that does not appear in the book.
1. Do not undermine your mate’s authority and side with your child against your spouse.
2. If you have disagreements wait until you are alone with your partner to voice and discuss them. Children will, even with “perfect parents” play their mother against their father or visa versa. If you display open hostility that tendency gets increased ten times. If you can’t control your impulsiveness how can you expect your child to control theirs.
3. Do not fight with your children. Set a model for them; show how you can have differences of opinions without fighting.
4. Do not use your children as pawns to get what you want.
5. No matter how hurt you feel, don’t use hurtful words either to your child or your mate. It only takes a few minutes, even seconds to say something painful, and to get past it can take day, weeks or even years.
6. Don’t neglect your partner in the name of taking care of your children. For your kids sake having parents that have a good relationship both set a positive role model and provide for a loving atmosphere in the home.
Being a parent is difficult at best, but it can be incredibly rewarding as we watch our children grow and thrive.