When
As an adult I can look back and see that some of that discipline was quite harsh. Although at the time I am sure my parents thought they were disciplining us in the right way, because that is all they knew. They did not want us to become wayward children, but children they could be proud of, they had their own parenting style.
Parents need to know and understand the world their children are growing up and living in now, so if you can think back to your own childhood, what was that like? What are the memories you cherish, which ones would you rather forget? Our past experience of the parenting we received from our own parents or carers often has a profound impact on us and helps to shape the man or woman we become. Often because of these experiences we can struggle to know the best way to discipline, set boundaries and generally care for our own children. We often repeat the patterns of our parents, some of which are not helpful to our children who are growing up in the 21st century. We cannot change what happened in our past, but we do have a say in how our future and our children’s future turns out. How can we ensure that our children and their children do not repeat the same patterns of family life we perhaps experienced?
Question to ponder
How does your past parenting experience impact on the way you parent your children? I’d live to hear from you…