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Unlocking Your Parenting Potential: 15 Questions to Guide Your Journey

Parenting is one of the most rewarding yet challenging roles you can take on. As parents, we often find ourselves navigating a maze of emotions, expectations, and responsibilities. It’s essential to take a step back and show on our parenting practices. This helps us become the best version of ourselves for our children. Here are 15 thought-provoking questions. They are designed to help you unlock your parenting potential. They will foster a nurturing environment for your family.

1. What are my core values as a parent?

Understanding your values can guide your decisions and actions. Reflect on what principles are most important to you. Principles may include respect, honesty, or kindness. Consider how you can instill these in your children.

2. How do I respond to my child’s emotions?

Consider how you react when your child expresses feelings like anger, sadness, or frustration. Are you supportive and understanding, or do you dismiss their emotions? Your response shapes their emotional intelligence.

3. What are my child’s unique strengths and weaknesses?

Every child is different. Take time to observe and appreciate what makes your child special. Think about how you can nurture their strengths. Support them through their challenges.

4. How do I handle stress and frustration?

Your emotional state affects your parenting. Reflect on your coping mechanisms and consider healthier strategies to manage stress, ensuring you model resilience for your child.

5. Am I setting realistic expectations for my child?

Evaluate whether your expectations align with your child’s age and developmental stage. Unrealistic expectations can lead to disappointment for both you and your child.

6. How do I communicate with my child?

Consider the effectiveness of your communication style. Are you actively listening? Do you encourage open dialogue? Effective communication fosters trust and strengthens your relationship.

7. What routines or traditions do we have as a family?

Family routines and traditions create a sense of belonging and stability. Reflect on what practices you cherish and how they contribute to your family’s identity.

8. How do I balance discipline with love?

Discipline is essential, but it should be balanced with love and understanding. Reflect on your disciplinary methods and consider how they can promote learning rather than fear.

9. What role does technology play in our family life?

In today’s digital age, it’s crucial to assess how technology impacts your family dynamics. Reflect on screen time limits, online safety, and how technology can be used positively.

10. How do I encourage my child’s independence?

Fostering independence helps children build confidence and decision-making skills. Reflect on how you can provide opportunities for your child to take on responsibilities appropriate for their age.

11. How do I express love and affection?

Consider the ways you show love to your child. Are you verbal in your affirmations, or do you express love through actions? Consistent affection strengthens your bond.

12. What are my child’s interests and passions?

Take time to discover what excites your child. Supporting their interests not only nurtures their talents but also strengthens your connection.

13. How do I involve my child in family decisions?

Involving your child in age-appropriate decisions fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility. Reflect on how you can include them in discussions about family activities or rules.

14. What are my parenting goals for the next year?

Setting specific, achievable goals can help you focus your efforts. Think about what you’d like to do as a parent in the coming year. It can be improving communication. It can also be spending more quality time together.

15. How do I take care of myself as a parent?

Self-care is vital for effective parenting. Reflect on how you prioritize your well-being. Consider ways to carve out time for yourself. This ensures you have the energy and patience to support your child.

Reflecting on these questions can illuminate areas for growth and improvement in your parenting journey. Remember, there’s no perfect parent. By taking the time to show, you can cultivate a nurturing environment. This environment allows both you and your child to thrive. Embrace this journey of self-discovery, and watch as your family flourishes together!

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Faith is a Guiding Light Through Dark Seasons

How Individual and Couples Can Find Strength Through Shared Faith

Life’s journey is often marked by unexpected twists and turns, presenting us with challenges that can test our resilience and inner strength. In the face of adversity, many individuals and couples turn to faith as a source of solace, guidance, and empowerment. Experts across various fields have recognized the profound impact that faith can have on our ability to navigate life’s difficulties with grace and fortitude.

“Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark,” said Rabindranath Tagore, the renowned poet and philosopher. This sentiment resonates deeply, as faith can provide a glimmer of hope and clarity even in the darkest of times, illuminating the path forward.

Dr. Kendra Cherry, a renowned psychologist, emphasizes the role of faith in fostering resilience: “Faith can serve as a powerful coping mechanism, offering individuals a sense of purpose and meaning, even in the midst of adversity. It can provide a framework for understanding and accepting life’s challenges, enabling them to persevere with greater strength and determination.”

For couples facing shared struggles, faith can be a unifying force, strengthening their bond and enabling them to support one another through difficult times. “Faith has the power to bring couples together, fostering a deeper emotional connection and shared understanding,” explains Dr. John Gottman, a renowned relationship expert. “It can provide a common language and set of values to navigate challenges as a team, reinforcing their commitment to one another.”

Faith can also play a crucial role in promoting mental and emotional well-being. “Spiritual practices, such as prayer, meditation, or contemplation, can have a calming effect on the mind and body,” says Dr. Lisa Miller, a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University. “These practices can help individuals and couples find inner peace, reduce stress and anxiety, and cultivate a sense of gratitude and acceptance, even in the face of adversity.”

Moreover, faith-based communities often provide a supportive network, offering practical assistance, emotional support, and a sense of belonging. “Being part of a faith community can be a powerful source of strength,” notes Dr. Harold Koenig, a leading researcher in the field of spirituality and health. “It can provide a safe space for individuals and couples to share their experiences, receive encouragement, and access resources to help them navigate life’s challenges.”

While faith can manifest in various forms and traditions, its essence lies in the belief in something greater than oneself, a guiding force that transcends the physical realm. As Dr. Brené Brown, a renowned researcher and author, eloquently states, “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.”

In the tapestry of life, faith can serve as a powerful thread, weaving together hope, resilience, and inner strength. Whether facing personal struggles, relationship challenges, or shared adversities, embracing faith can provide individuals and couples with a profound sense of purpose, guidance, and the fortitude to navigate life’s complexities with grace and courage.

Here is an exercise to help couples discuss and share their faith with each other:

Faith Sharing Exercise

The goal of this exercise is to create a safe, open space for you and your partner to share your personal faith journeys, beliefs, and spiritual practices with one another. It is an opportunity to deepen your understanding of each other’s spiritual selves and find ways to honor and support one another’s faith within your relationship.

Materials Needed:

  • A quiet, comfortable space free from distractions
  • A small object or item that holds spiritual significance for each partner (e.g., a religious symbol, a meaningful photograph, a cherished book, etc.)

Instructions:

  1. Begin by setting an intention for the exercise. You may choose to light a candle, say a prayer, or engage in a brief meditation to create a sense of reverence and openness.
  2. Take turns sharing your spiritual item with your partner. Explain what the item represents and why it holds significance for you in your faith journey.
  3. After sharing the item, take turns responding to the following prompts:
  • Describe your earliest memory or experience related to faith or spirituality.
  • What role did faith play in your upbringing and family life?
  • How has your faith evolved or changed over time?
  • What aspects of your faith or spiritual beliefs bring you the most comfort or strength?
  • Are there any specific practices, rituals, or traditions that are particularly meaningful to you?
  • How do you envision faith playing a role in our relationship and family life?
  1. As your partner shares, practice active listening without judgment or interruption. Seek to understand their perspective and experiences with an open heart and mind.
  2. After each partner has had the opportunity to share, engage in an open dialogue. Discuss any similarities or differences in your faith journeys, beliefs, or practices. Explore ways you can support and honor each other’s spiritual needs within your relationship.
  3. Conclude the exercise by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to share and learn more about each other’s spiritual selves. You may choose to hold hands, embrace, or engage in a closing ritual or prayer that feels meaningful to both of you.

Remember, this exercise is not about convincing or converting one another but rather about fostering a deeper understanding, respect, and appreciation for each other’s spiritual paths. Approach the exercise with an open mind, a compassionate heart, and a willingness to listen and learn from one another.

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Helping children to be more resilient

Resiliency is the ability to adjust to life’s difficulties and overcome challenging and stressful situations. On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, how resilient are you? How resilient is your child?

Resilient parents don’t automatically have resilient children. This can be frustrating for parents who want their kids to get motivated about school, say no to bad choices, or accept rejection and failures. If your child scores low on the resiliency scale, you can build new skills to help them grow emotionally and mentally.

Resilience has several attributes that parents would love to see in their children:

  • Emotional awareness and regulation
  • Inner drive or motivation
  • Future focus and readiness for change
  • Strong social connections/relationships
  • Physical health, sleep, and diet

Creating this in your child will be a process that occurs over time. The hope is that children will show these characteristics by the time they turn 18 and leave the home but even if it takes longer it is a goal parents will want to continue nurturing in them.

Don’t compare your child to others. Focus on the qualities of your child only! Comparisons places to much pressure on you and your child and will sabotage your efforts to develop this mental strength.

Parents have to model resiliency. You can’t preach resiliency if you don’t practice resiliency. Children will always do what you do over what you say. Put words and actions together to encourage resiliency.

Peers have a strong pull on children actions contrary to what your teenager tries to tell you. Be aware of who they are interacting with and work to know your children’s friends and their family, if possible. You don’t have to ban a friend you feel is the best influence on your child but you can talk with your them your concerns and offer suggestions on how to set boundaries and stand up for themselves and what they believe in.

Start with emotions. The more you validate and empathize with your child the stronger their conscience development. A strong moral compass will help your child overcome tough circumstances and follow the right path. This way you don’t have to be hovering over their shoulder every minute. If your child handles a situation poorly or makes a wrong decision, be empathic but encourage them to try again. Isn’t this how we all learn? Focusing on your child’s emotional awareness will produce more resilient people. about changes in behavior and encourage your child’s friends to be at your home and offer your supervision over them. Children with high emotional awareness will be more resilient people.

Young children will need to increase their emotional vocabulary. Label feelings, explore different feelings, validate positive and uncomfortable emotions. Make feelings ok and don’t push them down or brush them off but don’t over focus on them. A good healthy, emotional balance translates into greater resiliency.

Older children can have more complex conversations about feelings and social situations. Don’t shy away from cultural discussions and world situations. Use them to explore thoughts and ideas, helping the older child to see all sides of an issue. A more open-minded approach will rap children who have better judgment and compassion.

You can learn more about resiliency by consulting with Ron Huxley through a free online course at FamilyHealer.tv or schedule a session today.

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Want to reduce stress? Get some sleep

If you don’t get the right amount of sleep, your mind cannot be at its best. You won’t function properly and may make some serious mistakes. Unfortunately, stress can cause people to stay awake at night. However, getting the right amount of sleep can help eventually reduce your stress levels.

To get better sleep, start exercising on a regular basis. While exercise may give you energy throughout the day, when you go to bed at night, it will help you to sleep better. You will have a quality sleep as well. Some people find that exercising in the evening causes them to be wired, and they can’t get to sleep. If you fall into this camp of people, consider doing your exercising in the morning. This way, you’ll use that energy burst throughout the day and will give you time to become tired.

Try to avoid using alcohol in excess. Although this seems counterintuitive as alcohol makes you sleepy, it causes you to fall into a deep sleep. You then wake up in the middle of the night and have a difficult time getting back to sleep. Without the alcohol, your sleep will be more even and allow you to sleep throughout the night. If you feel you must have alcohol, don’t have more than one drink.

See a doctor if you have sleeping problems that persist. Not getting enough sleep can lead to a decline in your health. Sleep recharges the body and allows it to function properly, including building up antibodies to fight off diseases. When you are deprived of sleep, a bunch of problems can arise because of it.

Hopefully, if you do resort to seeing a doctor, he will find solutions that are not drug-dependent. This may help your sleep problems in the short term but doesn’t do much to fix the reason why you are not getting sleep. Press your doctor for alternative solutions if drugs are being prescribed.

Consider learning meditation as that can relax the mind. It’s much easier to get good sleep when the mind is relaxed than when it is thinking about all the problems you are facing. Meditation won’t solve those problems. But, getting to sleep can help you to come up with solutions faster.

Eating at the proper times during the day and eating the right kinds of foods, can help you to sleep better at night, as well. If you have a heavy meal right before you are going to bed, you could suffer from indigestion, which will not lead to a good sleep at all.

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Is Parent Coaching Right For You?

A parent coach is a professional who helps parents cultivate better relationships with their children. A coach provides insight, education, and direction that is concrete and practical. Although similar to therapy, coaching focuses more on short-term plans than processing emotions or working through past traumas. It doesn’t mean that parent coaching can’t provide this type of processing, but it is not its primary focus. 

Parenting coaches help in a variety of ways: 

  1. Behavioral problems help parents find strength-based ways to address children’s challenges, such as sibling rivalry, defiance, talking back, aggression, running away, meltdowns, and more. 
  2. Parenting self-care, managing adult stressors, and find balance in work, family, and social life. 
  3. Cope with transitions and crises that occur in life and the world. With all of its effects on schooling, work, and isolation, our current pandemic is a common crisis all parents must learn to manage.  
  4. Developmental and emotional concerns in children need expert insight and detailed plans when depression, anxiety, or delays present themselves. 

Any family structure can utilize parent coaching. The traditional family of yesterday is the nontraditional of today. It can include two parents families, divorced parents, single parents, grandparents raising grandchildren, foster and adoptive parenting, same-sex parents, and multigenerational families. 

Coaches typically have a master’s degree or higher in education or family counseling or completed a parent coaching certification. They should have experience in the specific area of specialty, such as aggressive teenagers or adoption. 

Coaching sessions are usually briefer than traditional therapy with 1 to 5 sessions. Each session has a specific outcome with homework to test “in the field” and then feedback and further revision until a parent feels change is happening. 

Ron Huxley is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 30 years of experience in parenting, family therapy, and specialized clinical issues, such as anxiety and trauma. He has served as the director of several clinical programs that utilized a coaching model. He is the author of the book “Love and Limits: Achieving a Balance in Parenting” and founder of the FamilyHealer.tv online school. You can set up a coaching or therapy appointment with him now. Just click here to schedule a time.

Ron also provides online and in-person training on a variety of parent, anxiety, and trauma-informed issues. Click here for more training information.

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Parenting Success In Small Steps

By Ron Huxley, LMFT

The key to building the family of your dreams is to measure your success in tiny steps. Stop looking for the big changes and focus on the small. Eventually you will get to the big ones but only one tiny step at a time.

Parents have a shortage of time. The quickest way end a parents dream strategy is feeling “overwhelmed.” Map out your day with your family in terms if hours and minutes. Build in time cushions so that you can get everything done. Eliminate anything that is not absolutely essential to the type of relationships you want and deserve to have.

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Dream Parenting is about speaking into the lives of our children and awakening them to the reality of who they are designed to be. Not all children what us to speak to them. They feel they know best. How do they come up with that idea? Do they see us as poor models about how to live life? Do our actions not inspire them to be designed like their designers? Design is the starting place. Destiny is the goal. They carry our DNA but we have to imprint and inspire them to be all they are designed to be, so they can live out their destiny. Our dream family is not just a product of our imaginations alone. It is birthed in the union with those we have birthed. 

Our children turn away from our moral codes when we react more to fear than to promises about our future. Fear is always a reaction. Promise is a response! Think about it for a few minutes. As parents, too many of our past disappointments are speaking into our present/presence and we do not display a design our children want to emulate. Dreams are not born out of fear. Dreams are produced by a strong faith in the knowledge of who we are. Not what we do and not based on what our children do. 

I hope this is not confusing you. You can’t build a dream family by managing behavior. That’s the bottom line. You have to build it by reminding yourself and your children about who you are designed to be. If you don’t yet understand that, then this is the first step in your new family blueprint. 

I think I should create a handout to go with this…Be on the lookout for one. in the meantime, join our MORE list and get past Dream Parenting Handouts and more: Click here now.

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We live in a broken world, full of broken families and broken hearts, resulting in anger, depression and anxiety. When people come to see a family therapist, they want change but they want other members of the family to change, not them. How much pain do we have to go through before we are willing to do something different than we have always done before? Listen to Ron Huxley, Family Therapist, as he shares some insights on how to create love and honor in the home to have real, permanent change in the family. 

Be sure to share this with a friend…

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Battle of Wills or Battle of Beliefs?

Many parents get into power struggles with their children over everyday tasks like homework, chores, bedtime, eating all their dinner, etc. This battle of wills can become a daily hassle that will wear out the most resilient parent.

In its extreme form, children can develop an oppositional defiant disorder which is characterized by negative, argumentative, disobedient, and hostile behaviors toward parents and authority figures. They refuse any guidance or direction from adults. Relationships turn into competitive matches where every interaction is geared toward the need to win. The subject of the argument no longer matters. The parent and child are armoring themselves to win the battle no matter what the topic. The reality is that parents can’t win every “battle”. That is exhausting! Research indicates that this battle creates even more oppositional behavior in children and the moral of the story ends up being that no one wins!

What Is Really The Problem?

The problem is not the behavior but the beliefs of the contestants in the power struggle. Instead of trying to change behaviors and win the battle of homework or chores, try to change the belief system and win over their heart. That can be difficult for the parent in the middle of a heated argument. It is even more difficult after dealing with defiant children for days, weeks, or months of non-stop fighting.

Parents are not prepared for tools of the heart that change belief structures. Most parenting tools focus on behaviors that attempt to mold children into obedient, submissive people. This is a perfect set up for oppositional defiant behavior to accelerate. Tools of the heart focus on changing oneself first and then work on creating a connection. It doesn’t confront the person. It confronts the beliefs that drive the person to act in opposition and defiant ways.

The Misunderstanding of Power in Relationships.

One of the beliefs that need to be addressed is the idea that in order to be powerful I always have to win. Not only do I have to win but you have to lose so that if you being hurt starts to the sign that I win. The child can get into the habit of hurting people, animals and destroying property to prove they have power. When the parent counters attack or overpowers the child in any way they reinforce this dysfunctional idea. The more realistic belief is that we can both be powerful by making appropriate choices and managing ourselves. Self-control is the ultimate example of power. The parent must model this in the home. The only thing you can guarantee complete control over is when “I manage me.” I cannot manage you 100% of the time. When I try to manage you, I set up a revenge mentality in our relationship. You will do what I want in this battle but you will look for ways to win the next battle.

Focus on Feedback.

Instead of an argument, we want to focus on feedback. Replace “you messages”, as in “you always” or “you never” or even “you are” with “me messages”, such as “here’s how this situation is affecting me”. Don’t hold up a mirror to child’s face to inform them of how “ugly” they are acting. Hold up the mirror to your heart and share what you are feeling. This can be a risky act, on the part of the parent, but vulnerability is what leads to intimacy and without an exposed heart there can be no heart to heart connection.

Questions are useful tools for parents even if you already know the answer. A dominating parent tells the child what to do or what they are not doing right. A parent who values responsibility provides lots of opportunities for the child to make choices. The parent allows the child to voice their needs with questions such as “what do you need in this situation?” or “what are you going to do about this problem?” Don’t be quick to jump in and solve the problem with the child. Let them tangle at bit at the end. You want their brains engaged and trained in solving their own problems.

Using questions help the parent and the child stay focused on the person, in the problem, instead of focusing on the problem in the person. This is an important distinction. Keep asking how your child is going to clean up the mess. You aren’t saying they are a mess but there is this mess of school grades or unclean rooms. If they don’t know to clean up their mess because they are used to the parent always tell them how to clean it up or clean it up for them, start giving them some ideas they can try. If they act like they don’t care about cleaning up the mess, give them choices that might be completely undesirable. “One choice might be to do all of your brother’s chores for a week to pay them back for breaking their toy. Would that be a way you can clean up this mess?” Of course, they don’t want to do that! The point is to get them engaged in this conversation to find a solution they would prefer. If they still refuse any responsibility for their actions, stay calm and wait this out. At some point, the child will want something from the parent and at that moment the parent can return to the mess that is still needing to be cleaned up. Re-ask the question of how they would like to clean up the mess. This teaches self-responsibility without ever breaking a connection with the child. You continually express your belief that they are powerful people who can make a good choice, if not today, then tomorrow or the day after that or the day after that until they finally learn to manage themselves well.

Do You Value Being Right Over Relationship?

If a parent insists on lecturing and using their authority in dominating ways then they are communicating that being right is more important that relationship. Relationships take time and this mess that the child has made can take as long as it needs to get cleaned up but it will get cleaned up. The value of learning responsibility and how to handle freedom and make good choices is more important than being right on this issue we are at odds with each other. Stubbornness is the hallmark of oppositional defiant behavior. Use this same energy to regulate your reaction to stand firm.

There are a lot of false beliefs in the parenting community that parenting educators perpetuate. We have put you in a difficult position and given you a difficult requirement that can set you up for failure. As a parenting educator, I apologize! Let’s learn together on how to build powerful people in intimate relationships with one another.

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Parents don’t have to win every battle…

Parents can take back their home life and create an atmosphere of love and peace. The strategy is battling a series of change campaigns over many weeks, months and perhaps years. Don’t lose the war due to impatience or stretching yourself too thin by fighting every battle of every day. You are outnumbered! You don’t have the same amount of physiological energy as your children. Be strategic and fight key battles on specific hills and don’t give up until that battle is won. These hills are territories of the heart that have been taken over by fear, resentments, unforgiveness, entitlements, When they are taken over, relationships become cold and defenses are built. Risk, through reconciliation and repentance of mistakes are the weapons that bring these defenses down.