Most parents think that if our child would just “behave,” we could stay calm as parents.

The truth is that managing our own emotions and actions is what allows us to feel peaceful as parents.

Ultimately we can’t control our children or the obstacles they will face ― but we can always control our own actions. 

Parenting isn’t about what our child does, but about how we respond. 

In fact, most of what we call parenting doesn’t take place between a parent and child but within the parent. 

When a storm brews, a parent’s response will either calm it or trigger a full‐scale tsunami. 

Staying calm enough to respond constructively to all that childish behavior ― and the stormy emotions behind it ― requires that we grow, too. 

If we can use those times when our buttons get pushed to reflect, not just react, we can notice when we lose equilibrium and steer ourselves back on track. 

This inner growth is the hardest work there is, but it’s what enables you to become a more peaceful parent, one day at a time.

Referenced by H2220922