Forget every other parenting method you’ve ever heard of and just do this.
I consider myself a pretty decent parent. My children are fed, clothed, healthy and happy most days. They aren’t always clean, they don’t always eat their vegetables and sometimes they throw things at each other. But that’s kids being kids, right?
Except I can’t help but feel I could be doing better. I could feed them healthier foods, dress them more neatly, give them more multivitamins and have more fun with them. And you know what? Wanting to do better isn’t a bad thing. I strive to do better because I care.
That’s my way of explaining my obsession with reading up on ALL the latest and greatest parenting methods. I just love reading about them, researching them and attempting them. I will look into helicopter parenting, passive parenting and tiger parenting, all in the hope I can do a little bit better.
Last night, while trying to put all three kids to bed and trying to deflect their bedtime-delaying tactics like requests for food, water, cuddles, kisses and different combinations of toys, I realised there's one parenting method I've been completely neglecting.
And all it requires is the use of one, little, word...
No.
"No" is not a dirty word when it comes to parenting. We're told we need to explain everything to our kids, we need to find the feeling behind the behaviour and address that. It can be exhausting.
I'd like to thank Theresa Edwards from Mommyish for reminding me of this word and for penning the phrase "No" Parenting. She too has become overwhelmed by all the conflicting and overwhelming parenting methods. She writes:
