When we make rules for our kids we must stick to them. If we let them break a rule once they want to break it again and make all the efforts to do it.
Example: When we arrive home from daycare and I’m starting dinner
Son: Mom I want a donut
Mom: You can’t eat now, Dinner will be ready in a few minutes
Son: But I wanna eat it now
Mom: Wait till I have dinner ready, after dinner if you want you can eat one.
Son (after 2 minutes): Mom, but I want to eat it now
Mom (losing patience): You can’t
Son: But I wanna eat it
Mom after a 8 hour working day, patience is lost, wants to end conversation: Ok eat it now but you have to eat dinner too.
Yes, this is me sometimes.
This shouldn’t happen. We must be coherent, there is nothing worse than decide one thing and do another. Although it’s simple to understand this concept we sometimes give in to our children requests - this is a big mistake.
Our basic values and ideas are transmitted from this simple acts and decisions. They will learn this values from what we say but specially from what we do.
If a child sees that we respect others and we listen to him/her he will learn to respect and hear others as well. Although on their teens they will play with other values, after some years they will return to what we expressed and shown on their childhood.
Television and Cinema can show them different role models but there is no doubt that the parents’ figure and behavior will be their definitive role model.
I’m aware of all this and I try to follow these “rules” but sometimes tiredness and lifestyle itself make me take the wrong decisions although most of the times I know I shouldn’t be doing it.
