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What if instead of trying to get the younger generations to do things the way we think they should, we trusted them to make the changes they see necessary?
In a culture that is so fixated on grasping for control, it's easy to get caught up in it and try to get our children to think like we do or see the world the way that we do.
But the true job of a parent is to be a safe haven and secure base that allows our children the confidence to explore the world fully and adventure beyond our own experiences. To learn MORE than we did and see MORE than we've seen.
Then each generation can do a little more to make the world and humanity better places to exist.
Teaching healthy conflict resolution to our children means modeling it for them, which requires communicating and connecting through conflict without fighting dirty or being violent.
Avoid focusing too much on fairness when teaching kids, as it can create a belief that good behavior is always rewarded and bad behavior is always punished, leading to the dangerous belief that they deserve any trauma they experience, instead use relational motivation to guide them towards making good choices.
The difference between consequences and punishment is important to understand, as consequences are the natural outcome of an action and necessary for learning, while punishments are intentional pain inflicted to control behavior, which can damage the parent-child relationship and hinder a child's growth towards internal security.