Is your family on the RIGHT TRACK?
Posted on August 31, 2010 12:00:00am, by Gerrianne Clare
A recent survey of parents indicated that the top three challenges they face in raising their kids (regardless of age) are:
- Knowing what to do when their kids challenge their authority
- How to handle the sibling rivalry and fighting that goes on in the home
- How to motivate their kids without overstressing them
If you are like most parents, you want to raise happy well adjusted responsible kids, but the hard part is figuring out how to achieve this goal without going crazy in the process.
Why is it so hard to parent?
- There are so many experts out there offering conflicting advice
- Children having different personalities and they don’t come with a rule book
- Your unique life circumstances (work, support, health, etc.) create your own set of challenges
- Your habits, beliefs and experiences as a child impact your decision making as a parent
- You often get caught up in the day to day grind and lose sight of your “vision” for your family
When I was a little girl I was often scared and intimidated to speak up and be visible in my family. I came from a family of eight kids. My father had a volatile temper that scared me and I was teased constantly by my siblings.
When I became a mom, I wanted to create a different reality for my kids. However, when my oldest child was 18 months old and started to exert his independence, I did not have the skills to handle this.
One day when he acted up, my anger and frustration got the better of me and I spanked him out of anger. I nearly died inside. I knew this is not what I wanted.
My dream was to create a home life where my children could be free to express who they were and where they learned how to be responsible and respectful in the world. I knew spanking my kids out of anger was not the road to that goal.
I vowed to find a new way of parenting. I went on a journey into my soul and I searched and I searched to find that way of being with my kids that felt solid and real.
This journey took me on many different paths.
In my professional life I was a nurse and a life coach supporting families over the years in finding their authentic way of parenting, feeling less stress and more peace in their life.
In my personal life, I spent hundreds of hours in workshops and course work focusing on personal development and responsibility, self esteem and relationships, parenting, leadership, stress management, work life balance and many others.
In my parenting life, I raised three, now adult, children and am a new grandmother. Raising my kids has been the biggest learning in my life. Some of my greatest joys have been with my kids and also some of my deepest pain.
What I learned more than anything else is that knowing what I wanted with my family was key to my achieving my goals even though I did not know HOW I would get there.
When you are clear on the WHAT you want the HOW will show up.
I have developed the Family Guidance System to show you HOW you can make your family dreams a reality!!!
This HOW comes in the form of tools, techniques and strategies that I created from my blend of knowledge, education and experience of over 30 YEARS.
What I share with you in the Family Guidance system is unique. Some of the techniques may sound familiar however I have tweaked them and adapted them to work beautifully in families. I am so thrilled with how they have come together and how simple and easy they are to use.
To find out more JOIN ME on my FREE Teleseminar "3 Things you can do RIGHT NOW to navigate through your kids behavior"
I would love to hear from you about what you find are your major challenges. What you have tried, what has worked and what has not worked.
Please comment below and let others know how you are doing on your journey of parenting.
In peace and friendship,
Gerrianne