I love learning things to help me to improve my marriage and be a better mom. Today I learned a few tips I thought I'd share:
1. Write down your last disagreement with your spouse (what and when) and have your spouse do the same. Share your answer with your spouse. You may be suprised your spouse doesn't have the same answer. Discuss how you resolved the conflict. Hopefully this excercise will get you to both open up and communicate more about your differences and preferences. Disagreeing is a natural and can be a healthy part of marriage. You just have to learn to disagree in a fair manner--yeah...I'm still working on this. :)
2. REWIND. When something frustrating happens (especially with your kids) and you say or do something you regret, get into the habit of saying "rewind" or something like it and pause, back up and rephrase or redo what you had previously done in a positive way. An apology would also be a great insert here.
3. The Entitled Generation: Help cure feelings of entitlement with your kids by making them learn to work hard. No, you won't be a mean parent. They may act like you are but you will be doing them a huge favor! Starting in the home with small, simple tasks that a child can accomplish will provide a child with a positive self-image, determination, self-reliance and countless other essential qualities. I had a roommate in college who honestly didn't know how to boil water. Bits and pieces of our food kept dissappearing. After weeks of feeling very hungry did we finally figure out it was her and what her problem was. Her mother had wanted to shield her from all hardships while growing up and did everything for her. Boy did she have a steep learning curve. If you truly want to do something good for your child, help them learn to share responsibility in the home according to their capabilities. Let them learn to serve you. How can you love someone you have never served???
