Tag Archives: in control

Teaching Kids to Take Charge of Their Own Happiness

I know that there are many of us who read this title and wonder how on earth can we teach our kids to take charge of their own happiness when we may still be trying to learn how to do it for ourselves! It can be a joint lesson to learn how to stop blaming and interpreting that the happiness is something that comes at us from the outside. It can also take years to learn this valuable life lesson, but as parents we can start our children on the road to happiness… We can point out to our children … Continue reading →

Praise Children for Things They Have Control Over

We know as parents that praise and encouragement are important. In fact, most of us have learned the lessons of building our child’s self-esteem through those positive, encouraging words. What might be a bit confusing, however, is how WHAT we praise can really make a difference in how our children benefit from those words of praise. Praising effort is more encouraging for a child than to praise the outcome. When you encourage a child for working hard, trying, and being persistent—you are encouraging them in the process and not focusing on whether they win, lose, or what the outcome is. … Continue reading →

In Control…or Controlling

It is one thing to have things under control—our families, our lives, our work situation—it is quite another to be overly controlling or trying to force and maneuver various aspects of our lives. As a single parent, things can so often feel chaotic and precarious that we may cross line from striving to get control to being overly controlling. What is the difference, you might ask? The best way I can explain it is to say that “controlling” is when you are trying to force things to happen; manipulate or force other people (including a child or children) to do … Continue reading →