Proactive Parenting

Shane and I seem to be constantly correcting our child lately. "Don't do this... do that now... Stop that... That behavior is not kind."

Which leads to... "Do that again and you will be punished."

Which leads to excessive punishment. Which is discouraging for everyone.

Positive reinforcement for good choices has helped, but we are beginning to realize that planning ahead – training more than correcting – would be even more helpful. If we can train our children by preparing them for how to behave in situations before they happen, there would naturally be more rewards and less correction.

Proactive Parenting at Visionary Womanhood is worth reading if you are sick and tired of correcting, correcting, correcting. There has to be a better way, right?! This is going to take more forethought, as the author of this article says, but she gives some great ideas on how to get started in parenting proactively instead of reactively. May this wisdom help us all!