On Monday, April 25th, we sat down to watch Lesson One of the Strengthening Families Program. We admitted that we hadn't been very good at the one-on-one time with our daughter and decided we should keep trying but go on with the next lesson anyway.
The topics were:
* noticing and complimenting the good in others
* no "trash talk" (fault-finding and criticism)
* ignoring irritating behavior
* relieving stress with 1--Deep Breathing, 2--Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Tighten every muscle you can. Imagine a warm waterfall pouring from your head down to your feet relaxing muscles as it flows. Flick off the water and step out of the puddle in a relaxed state.) and 3--Positive Self Talk ("I am calm and in control. I can make this moment better. I can smile.)
This was a hard week for me. I need to increase the number of compliments I make. I think of criticism as part of my job as a mom. The most irritating behavior to me is disobedience and I don't always think it is wise to ignore it. Still, I think I am pretty good at stress relief.
We asked our daughter at the end of the week how she did. She reported that she thought of using the waterfall stress relieving strategy but decided against it. She said she was stressed as she was taking a test that week but thinking of a waterfall just made her need to use the bathroom.
1 comment:
Until recently, I have been a skeptic of stress relief activities. But they totally work. Deep breathing and stretches, yes, like yoga, are awesome.
I think the "no criticisms" and "ignore annoying behavior" rules are pretty key. I need to work on this too. There is a fundamental differnce between criticism and teaching.
Good luck in the program. Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
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