Parenting: Growing Healthy Minds

By Michal Baghlani (Registered Psychologist)

This photo nicely sums up the vibe of my relationship with my children. “Smile” I say, and this is what I get. I asked for permission to post this and he approved so I’m guessing he feels comfortable with his quirks.

As parents it’s our role to guide our children through life and protect them along the way.

Some tips with raising a healthy mind:

Let them feel and rant when they need to.
Open discussion around the feelings and the rant when they have calmed
Ask them why they felt or reacted the way they did
Ask them if they may have been able to approach things differently and how that may have changed the outcome
Let them take risks within their capability
Be aware of your own emotional judgement of their experiences and don’t be too quick to tell them what they ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ do.

In brief. Open discussion. Ask questions. Get them to think and answer. This feeds their self confidence and critical thinking. We need our children to grow to be able to deal with challenges and treat the world with respect. Let them be their own person and respectfully challenge them when you feel they are heading down the ‘wrong’ path.

Discipline and discussion can have very different outcomes.

Talk WITH them not AT them.