The most important thing I took away from class this week was, "As parents, we need to focus on the needs of our children, not changing their behaviors."
Many parents focus on strictness instead of warmth and consistency in parenting. This is partially because strictness is the easiest and most straightforward thing we can control. However, it's been proven that when parents focus on warmth and consistency, children are more connected and well-behaved because they feel respected.
We also talked about natural consequences and how if parents need to enforce consequences, they should be logical. I.E. follow natural consequences that adults deal with on a smaller, more applicable scale.
Teaching is not about compliance. If all we want from our kids is to get them to "shut up", the parenting style is duct tape. If you want children that respect you and love you, teach respect and love to them, through your actions.
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