Are you making the grade?
Are you willing to be held accountable for your actions?
In honor of back to school, let’s give our children credit for developing new responsibilities and buckling down. We expect a lot from our children and rewards and consequences are a common topic of discussion. As we define our expectations of our children, have you ever considered figuring out what your children expect of you? Are you willing to hold yourself accountable as a conscious parent? Are you willing to tweak your child rearing philosophies along the way to become more effective? Are you willing to have an open dialogue with your children to learn more about yourself and your style?
I am in no way, shape or form suggesting that children should parent their caretakers. But I am encouraging you to take a look at yourself and hold yourself accountable for your daily choices.
Having an open (not defensive) dialogue with your children to unleash their point of view and perception of you, will be eye opening. It’s a learning opportunity. If you dare to give your children an opportunity to play teacher for a moment, you just might learn a whole lot. Mine have been the greatest teachers in my life.
Are you ready for the ModernMom Report Card?
I gave this report card that I developed many years ago with ModernMom to my own children to see, if, in fact I was making a respectable grade. Give yourself a time out and share this with your children. Self evaluation is super important. This parent report card is an amazing exercise to check in with yourself to see how you’re doing while also holding yourself accountable. When I empower my children to have an open dialogue with me, we grow as a family and deepen our understanding and appreciation for one another.
P.S. There no ego in this exercise and no value in being defensive; guilt is an easy default but this is not about that. It’s about tapping into the young minds and understanding the pitch and catch dynamics of raising a family. In full transparency I will tell you that I received a couple of bad grades from my children. What I did do with my grades and feedback was some self-evaluating. Three of my kids gave me an F for the same question (btw, being defensive and in denial is not allowed in this exercise). It was one area that I know I need to work on and can definitely improve. My son gave me a D on another question that I was very happy to receive. I explained to him why I parent that way and that I understand his point of view but this will not be changing.
Report cards are evaluations and meant to encourage growth and adjustment. I accept the times that I may have done better. I accept that I am constantly learning and that if I truly listen, most of the invaluable information is right there.
Let your kids grade you!
Download it here – ModernMom Report Card
Best,
Brooke
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