As we posted last week, “How you respond when things aren’t going as planned is extremely important.”
When it comes to parenting, it is important to parent with ADAPTABILITY. This includes avoiding the mindset that there is a ‘one-size-fits-all’ technique that applies to every behavioral situation.
So, what does it mean to parent with ADAPATBILITY?
It means to parent based on the situation at hand and your child’s temperament and current mood. This doesn’t mean you should make excuses when your child misbehaves because they are in a bad mood. Instead, it’s about having flexibility in how you respond to your child’s misbehaviors based on the situations mentioned above so that you meet your child where they are.
Being an adaptable parent means pausing to think and choose the best course of action when your child misbehaves. This gives you space in your mind to think about the best way to parent, which enables you to parent intentionally versus reactively. The latter tends to be by emotions, where the first is by strategy.
Parenting with ADAPTABILITY also means you are your wisest self in the most difficult times. This enables you to provide your child with what they need in the moment. When that goal is in mind, you increase your chance of getting the best outcome from the situation as possible.
To improve your ADAPTABILITY skills, it is important to have a clear sense of your child’s moods and how that affects their behavior. You must also be aware of how you respond based on their mood, so you can start to pause and choose the best response possible. The goal should be to make a connection with the child first so you both are in a clearer state of mind.
Keep in mind, being an adaptable parent is not easy. However, if you consciously pay attention to this skill over the next few weeks, then you will for sure make some progress.
So, give our recommendations a try this week, and next week be on the lookout for a Parent SKILLZ worksheet where you’ll fill in the blanks to help improve your ADAPTABILITY skills with your child!
Thank you, and have fun building the Parent SKILLZ: ADAPTABILITY this week!
