Parents
Parents of children who, for some reason, have behavioral problems, have particular challenges in their life. Not only for these children, but also for the parents themselves, it’s good when the education is based on the principles of gentle teaching.
Parents have an unconditional love for their children and want nothing but the best for them. But that unconditional love can be put to the test when the child has special vulnerabilities that may be a source of problematic behavior. The problems arise not from one moment to another, but develop over time. This can cause parents to enter into a spiral of negativity with their children, without realizing that this happens. And both parents and children will feel miserable together.
Well-intended advice from family and friends, and unfortunately sometimes from professionals, often tells parents to be strict to their children and set clear boundaries. And if the children don’t listen, they should ‘make them listen’. This doesn’t only lead to children who feel increasingly abandoned by the parents. Parents start to doubt themselves whether they are good parents and start thinking it’s their fault that the child is becoming unmanageable.
When the feelings of powerlessness gains the upper hand, we easily come to the situation where the unconditional love turns into irritation, anger and even aggression towards the child.
Gentle teaching will bring the parents back to their original unconditional love for their child and thus put them in their original strength. By helping the parents to look at the feelings of the child, which cause the behaviors, they realize that not the behavior - how difficult it sometimes can be – is the problem to be solved. It’s the child’s problem that should be solved, because the child can’t do this by himself.
It’s the parent’s responsibility to prevent their children coming into troubles or preventing their children to cause harm to others. Gentle teaching can help parents do this in a loving way. The way they by nature want to do it.
