"What needs to happen next?"
This simple question can stop you from feeling like a nag, and shows your child you believe they can make a good decision.
You’re getting ready to start bedtime routine and your regular script is a series of,
“Do this! Stop that! Go here! Brush that!”
Instead, use
“What needs to happen next?”
Then wait.
When your child gets to give the answer, they don’t feel nagged.
They get to tell you what to do. They feel like they have more control, and you get to agree with them, “That’s right, let’s go!”
If your child answers, “I don’t know.”
You could offer, “Are you going upstairs on your own, or are we walking holding hands?”
If they don’t choose, you choose the second choice and get them moving in the right direction.
We start parenting feeling like we have to do everything for our baby.
We do.
It’s easy to feel like we have to keep doing everything.
We don’t.
Gradually handing over responsibility to our kids, and asking instead of telling can help everyone in the family to grow and learn new ways of belonging and contributing to the team.
Want to cut the drama happening in your family? I'll show you how in my FREE Masterclass November 7. Click here to save your spot!