It’s Not You, It’s Me

The Conscious Parent

Photo by on

Parenting a toddler is one of the hardest fights you will ever fight as a parent. You will be faced with situations that bring forth lots of things that are usually caused by trauma from your childhood. There is so much work to be done on yourself internally when raising children. Everyday is a chance at a learning experience for not only yourself, but your children as well.

When you find yourself getting to a point where you feel angry, upset or offended by something your child is doing, stop and ask yourself — “why is this triggering me?” — Is it really a bad or dangerous behavior that needs to be stopped or is it just unpleasant for you? This will help you to identify the steps you need to take in the moment. Should I step in and offer a safer alternative? Should I ask them to stop the action completely? Or am I just feeling these feelings because I am triggered and should take a step back to reassess the situation from a different, more understanding point of view?

Taking the time to stop and ask yourself these questions can save you from a lot of “less than perfect” parenting moments. When we identify what it is that triggers us in the moment, we are able to be more self-aware in the future to help us react more appropriately. This then helps us to be better at identifying when discipline or correction is needed or when it is…