1.9 – Parenting aims – feedback
Do any of these match your answers?
| What do you want? | What others said |
|---|---|
| 1. Well behaved children. | My life will be easier. People will like them more. Children will be rewarded for good behaviour. Teachers will help them achieve. They will be invited to their friends’ houses. |
| 2. Respectful children. | People will like them more. They will learn to care for others. They will value others’ opinions. They will find it easier to cooperate. They will be able to avoid conflict. |
| 3. Children to know they’re loved. | Love is a beautiful feeling. Love ties people together. Love increases confidence and self esteem. Happy people are more successful. Loving relationships build trust. |
| 4. A more peaceful life. | Shouting and arguing is time and energy consuming. I need my sleep! The children can focus on their interests and hobbies. The neighbours will like me. I can get some of my work/hobbies done. I can have more quality time. |
| 5. More cooperation. | Life is give and take. Cooperation gets things done. They will learn to care for others and others for them. We will all be happy. Other children will want to be with them. Cooperation aids communication. |
| 6. The kids to get on with each other. | I don’t want stress for me or them. The house will be quieter. They will be able to play with each other. I don’t want them to hurt each other. |
| 7. I want a good relationship with my kids. | I’ll feel calmer. It’s good for them as well as me. It well help keep the family together when they leave home. |
| 8. Happy children | All children should be happy. Happy children is why I wanted to be a parent in the first place! |
Each member of your family is unique and has his or her own characteristics and temperament. This makes your relationship with each child different, sometimes easier and sometimes more of a challenge.
It’s important to look at what you want for your children and why you want it so you can get a clearer idea of what your goals are.
You may want to write in your journal a list of ideas of how you are going to get what you want. As we go through each session together you can add new ideas to your journal to record your own thoughts.
You have now thought about what you want for your family and why. Throughout this course we will suggest ways that can help to enhance and build on your parenting skills. The next step is to think about how you learnt to be a parent…
Next: 1.10 – How were you brought up?Back: 1.8 – Parenting aims