Are You Open and Flexible in Your Parenting?

13 February 2020
Kristi

One of the things I have learned being a special needs parent is that being open and flexible can make for much happier and calm days.

Keep in mind that HOW your child works may differ than what you are use to...and that is completely okay. Which means when they come to you with, what you think, is an odd request...be open and flexible to what they are asking.

I am NOT saying you can always say yes, but the more you can say "yes" to what excites them, the more you build their emotional, social, and academic skills.

For example, yesterday Munchkin came running up to my Husband and I as she had found 2 new Minecraft world games where she could be an Archeologist/Paleontologist digging for dinosaur bones and the other a she could be Marine Biologist studying and rescuing animals in the see. Many tend to think down about the learning power of video games. I encourage you to be open and flexible.

I understand that my child is a visual, auditory, hands on learner and games like this really help concepts stick.

She was so excited about these. She was considerate in asking if we could afford them. (Which we could and loaded right away.) We spent the next 2 hours immersed in these games. We learned about Dinosaurs that I have never heard of. They require problem solving, math concepts to buy new equipment, map reading skills, inventory management, reading of instructions, and then following instructions. WOW! That's a lot of learning. If I was closed minded to how my child learns, her use of screen time, and video games; all that knowledge, passion, and excitement would have been lost.

Do I always prefer this style of learning? Nope, because there are times I feel awful about the amount of screen time I permit. But in the same breath, this isn't about me. It's about HER. Feeding the passion that leads to natural learning, social skills, and emotion skills (as she has to work through struggles), is pure magic.

Being open and flexible applies to so many facets of parenting. So the next time you are faced with a request or a situation, ask yourself if you are being to rigid? Can you be open and flexible for the mental health and well being of your child? It can make all the difference for both of you

Tags:

parenting tips

empowered parent

natural learning

minecraft for learning

Special Needs Parenting

a day in the life of a special needs parent

As I was out running errands I watched a young girl, around the age 5 scream that she wanted the toy. Her Mother told her No. Of course, she began to cry and scream that she wanted it. You could see the instant stress on the mother's face as her child threw a fit. I kid you not the women picked up... more

9 Ways to Help Your Child Build Friendships

How many time have you heard on the news or read on social media of a special needs child who is sitting alone at their birthday party because no one decided to show up? Or the child who wrote his wish list for Christmas and all it had on their was a friend. Just the other day I posted about a... more

Praise the Effort, NOT the Outcome

Yesterday afternoon Munchkin tried her first strokes class at swimming. This was the next step in your swimming progress. The lane when from 1/2 the length of the pool to the full length, focusing on one stroke per month, and building endurance. The owner was gracious enough to let us try this... more

The Number 1 Parenting Technique That Will Help Improve Your Childs Behavior

In a recent blog post I talk about the importance of tracking. It is such a powerful tool and the data you glean from it is invaluable. As part our our initial tracking we tracked our responses each time Samantha had an outburst. Whether it was the removal of a consequence, yelling back, doing... more

More Recent Posts

Nagging Isn't About Your Kids, It's About You

The other day I was having a conversation with my brother. We were talking about our children and nagging came up. It was what he said that made me pause and ultimately led me to a discovery about myself. He said, "we nag because we are so tired and frustrated they don't do what we've... more

4 Ways to Clean & Santize Stuffed Animals

4 Ways to Clean & Sanitize Plush Toys

Under the current environment it is important to be extra diligent about keep our children's toys clean. This is also important for children that have underlying heath conditions, such as asthma and allergies. Unfortunately, there are many plush toys say that they are surface washable only. Leaving... more

What Unschooling Looks Like Photo Gallery

When I tell people that Samantha is unschooled, many of them are taken aback. They have a puzzled look on their face. I go on to explain that learning happens naturally for all of us through the experiences we have in life. In this process, it is not necessary to force children to learn something... more

A photo gallery of our homeschooling unschooling activities

Our Homeschooling Gallery

I take a guided eclectic unschooling and homeschooling approach with Samantha so we can work through her specific learning needs in a calm loving environment without the social pressures, excess busy work, and emotional peer overload. This gallery is a collection of all the games, worksheets,... more

5 Ways to Get Your Spouse on the Same Page About Your Child’s Special Needs

This is a subject that comes up quite frequently when I am talking with other parents. Often the scenario is Mom sees the struggles of her child, but Dad doesn’t. This disconnect leads to arguments between the couple, inconsistent parenting, and adds a layer of anxiety on everyone in the... more

You are here

Are You Open and Flexible in Your Parenting?

Related Posts

More Recent Posts