Oh my gosh-isn't this the truth?
Parenting really is such a wonderful/interesting/exhausting/exhilarating thing. With all sorts of advice coming our way, it can also be overwhelming.
I read a book this month called Unselfie, that teaches parents how to raise their children to be more empathetic, and therefore more successful in life.
I liked it and I'm glad I read it, but it was a little....much.
There were tons of thoughts, ideas, and practices to implement with your children. The author also gave takeaways to practice with your children, but there were way too many to actually apply, in my opinion.
Here are a few of my thoughts from the book....
*It really is extremely important for children to understand how to sense how other people are feeling.
-The biggest way to do this (reduced to one sentence instead of an entire section) is to point it out to your children. Sometimes quickly and sometimes it needs to be discussed. Did you see that what you did made him sad? Do you like to feel sad? Things like that.
*Find a way for your child to decompress after school and/or during a busy time.
-I think this is super important for all ages...adults and kids...to figure out. Life can get a little crazy and it's good to have a spot in the house or an activity that is good for winding down.
*I do love her idea of starting a kindness journal.
-Yes, this is one more thing for parents to supervise, but! with this, kids can record, at the end of the week, something/multiple things they did for someone else. It's a great idea for keeping service in the forefront of their minds, I think. This can also put family service projects to the top of the priority list.
*She also mentioned the idea of a family meeting each week.
-This is actually a concept that our church has focused on for a while. We hold family council meetings every week (super short, of course, because...4 kids...) where we talk about what's going on for the week. Schedules/thoughts/expectations/etc.
Those are my main thoughts. Happy Parenting!
