Kind, gentle, respectful and FIRM. What does it mean?
It seems to me that the first three words are pretty understandable, but what does firm mean to you?
In a nutshell, I would have to say that firm means:
That we mean what we say.
That we can, and must, be decisive even when we don’t want to be.
That we understand how crippling it can be to a child to have fuzzy, or unclear boundaries.
That we will be respected in return for making the effort to cultivate boundaries for our families.
That we will abide by those boundaries too!
That we understand that children thrive in places where they know what to expect, and what is expected of them.
That we maintain our values, opinions and individuality even when we are listening to someone.
That we don’t need to correct and teach (in fact we mustn’t!) while serving as a validating listener.
Parenting is not a picnic is it? It’s a joy, but also the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s the role that has demanded the most from me and required constant education and growth.
And the years have taught me that I just need to keep moving forward and continue to practice! We only fail when we quit. And even then, we can turn around and decide to try again!
Love to you!
Jacque
BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you for the thought, it was muy bueno! xo