Many times I’ve looked over at the mom with the quiet well-mannered kids and wondered, “Am I the only one who’s a mess? Why does every other mother seem to have it together?”
As a freelance writer with ten years of experience and counseling psychology graduate degree, I knew how to listen and be empathetic.
But all I knew about “parenting strategies” consisted of time out tactics and the “children should be seen and not heard” mindset I had been raised in.
After spending much of 2017 researching parenting techniques, I gleaned an alternative, which was less about discipline and more about connection. Surprisingly, I learned it’s not getting your kids to listen, but it’s improving your relationship that turns out to be the winning strategy.
However, even though I am a stay-at-home mom now, I worry about how much quality time I’m spending with my son. So that became my next quest.
Here are the 9 things I learned about improving my connection with kids.