When I teach parenting I like to show a graphic of a knight fighting a dragon. So often WE fall into that role. Then I show a graphic with a wizard advising the knight. We aren't the hero. In fact we cant do our kids' fighting for them even if we want to. They have to deal with the problem. We are there as a wise (and sometimes powerful) advisor. When we teach our kids and help them practice we're handing out magic rings and dwarf-forged swords, but the battle will always be theirs to win.
Megan, this is brilliant. The do less, not more approach is a vital message to be getting through to parents who are rightly worried about how their kids are coping.
When we try to protect them, or worry about their ability to cope, we inadvertently tell them they can't do hard things.
Yes! Thank you! It’s hard to stop because it feels so intuitive, responding to their distress is literally what we have been doing since they were babies. But as they get older, to actually be supportive, we have to shift.
When I teach parenting I like to show a graphic of a knight fighting a dragon. So often WE fall into that role. Then I show a graphic with a wizard advising the knight. We aren't the hero. In fact we cant do our kids' fighting for them even if we want to. They have to deal with the problem. We are there as a wise (and sometimes powerful) advisor. When we teach our kids and help them practice we're handing out magic rings and dwarf-forged swords, but the battle will always be theirs to win.
Great post! ❤
Thank you so much, Anne 🩷
excellent advice for parents especially! Thank you
Thank you!!
Brilliant, Meg. Thank you! I’m going to try some of these strategies on an anxious adult I know, too 😜
Hahaha. They work just as well on anxious adults 😉
Megan, this is brilliant. The do less, not more approach is a vital message to be getting through to parents who are rightly worried about how their kids are coping.
When we try to protect them, or worry about their ability to cope, we inadvertently tell them they can't do hard things.
Yes! Thank you! It’s hard to stop because it feels so intuitive, responding to their distress is literally what we have been doing since they were babies. But as they get older, to actually be supportive, we have to shift.
There is so much good stuff in this post! Not just for anxious kids but for kids with sort of struggles or diagnoses. Thank you!!
Thank you!!