Parenting with Purpose

Teaching Children to Manage Their Emotions and Behavior As parents, one of our greatest responsibilities is helping our children learn how to manage their emotions and behavior. It’s not just about stopping tantrums or avoiding meltdowns. It’s about giving our kids the lifelong tools they need to understand themselves, respond to challenges, and grow into emotionally healthy adults. 🌱 In this course, and especially through the work of Haim Ginott and Laurence Steinberg, I’ve learned that emotional regulation doesn’t come naturally. It’s a skill that must be taught with love, patience, and consistency. Children aren’t born knowing how to handle anger, sadness, or frustration. In fact, their brains are still developing the structures that help with self-control. That’s where we come in. 💬 Haim Ginott reminds us in Between Parent and Child that how we speak to our children shapes how they see themselves. When we respond to a child’s strong emotions with empathy and understanding rather...

The Power of Using Descriptive and Appreciative Praise Many parents believe that telling their child “You are so smart!” is one of the best ways to motivate them. It sounds positive and encouraging, and who wouldn’t want to boost their child’s confidence? However, this kind of praise can sometimes have unintended consequences. In this course, I learned that praising fixed traits such as intelligence or talent may actually limit a child’s motivation and increase their fear of failure. When children hear only this type of praise, they often become afraid to take on challenges because they want to protect the image of being “smart.” They worry that if they fail, they will lose the approval of others or even their own self-worth. Research shows that children who are praised for their effort and perseverance develop greater resilience and a stronger, more genuine sense of self. In the NBC News video True Grit: Can You Teach Children Character? researchers explain that children who demonstr...

 Parenting with Connection, Not Control Many parents believe that being a good parent means having authority, setting strict rules, and punishing children when they do not obey. This belief is common because discipline is often confused with control. However, one of the most important lessons I learned in this course is that effective parenting is not about controlling behavior, but about building strong emotional connections with our children. When children feel connected to their parents through respect and empathy, cooperation comes naturally. 💞 When a child feels truly seen, heard, and understood, they are more likely to cooperate; not because they are afraid of punishment, but because they value their relationship with their parents. The National Extension Parent Education Model (NEPEM) emphasizes that parenting should focus on relationships filled with warmth, respect, and positive communication. This means that instead of only setting rules, parents should learn to truly l...