Over the last few weeks I have been writing about Conscious Parenting and how we can become more conscious and aware in our parenting practice. In a recent post, I spoke specifically about our own parenting behavior and how our inner landscape profoundly influences our outer way of being. Remember the iceberg slide? Today I am going to discuss reports cards because believe it or not, they are on the horizon. As such, I wanted to take some time to reflect and hopefully give you some ideas for becoming a more conscious parent pertaining to this. Earlier this year, just before the end of the summer term, I happened to have six Grade 7 students in my car and they had all just received their report cards: “How many A’s did you get?” piped up one boy “5 – Why?” “I get $50 for every A I get” he replied! “Really? I don’t get cash for A’s…. That means you get $250!!” “How many A’s did you get?” asked another kid “None” replied the child quietly. “None, you mean you didn’t even get one A – wow” That night at dinner my son asked me why we didn’t pay him …Read more →
Monthly Archives: November 2015
Shaping Our Parenting Behavior?
Some of you may have seen the image below before? I love it. Talk about “if a picture paints a thousand words”! It’s by Kelly Bartlett. I think that it offers parents a perfect lens for looking at and helping us understand our children’s behavior. We only see such a little piece of what is really going on and this visual helps remind me that the roots for most of our behaviors are found deep below the surface. However, they influence the small visible part of us in the most profound of ways. This got me thinking and I started to look at my own behavior through this lens. Hence I crafted a new picture to capture the essence of this perspective. My behavior as a parent is also like an iceberg. My children only see a very small part of me. A fraction of what is really going on deep inside me. I might be tired, hungry, mad, overwhelmed, dissatisfied and insecure about something. But my kids don’t know that. They come into the house after school and my youngest runs up to greet me… the me with all of this going on below. With my unmet needs, feelings …Read more →
