Voice: low
There are a couple of things I can do to keep myself in the calm mode: keep my voice low and keep my voice slow. When I start to get triggered, my voice starts getting…hmmm…. strident? (some might say “bitchy”). When I can hear my voice getting shrill, it gets higher in pitch. (more…)
Getting comfortable with discomfort
It’s a funny thing about life: it’s teaching me things all the time if I just stop and listen. Back when my sons were about 8 and 10 years old, they used to want to wrestle with each other. I remember one afternoon when I was cooking dinner, and I started to hear some rough-housing escalation in the living room: voices raising, energy level rising. I heard some pushing and tangling going on out there. I stalked out into the living room, shouting, “Stop it! Stop it, now!”
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Fave parenting technique
One of my favorite parenting techniques:
“Sure.”
Sprinkle generously: “Sure!” “suuure…” “sure.” I really like my parenting when I “sure” a lot.
Parentcraft defined
PARENTING:
late 12c., from O.Fr. parent (11c.), from L. parentem (nom. parens) “father or mother, ancestor,” noun use of prp. ofparere “bring forth, give birth to, produce,” from PIE base *per- “to bring forth” (see pare). Began to replace nativeelder after c.1500. The verb is attested from 1660s. The verbal noun parenting is first recorded 1959 (earlier term had been parentcraft, 1930). (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=parent&searchmode=none)
Parentcraft: what a great term! There is a distinct talent, skill, ART to parenting. Even the word ‘craft’ evolved from ‘strength and power’ to ‘art, science, talent’ – just like parenting moves from strength (physical and mental) when kids are small, to ‘art, science and talent’ when kids are teens. Skill also includes……….fun! This blog is about all that:
the art, science, talent, skill, fun of parentcraft.
