Page 111 - The Intentional Parent

1. Am I giving in to unreasonable demands from my children, just because that is the only way I can control them?
2. Am I providing good models for respect?
3. Am I providing good models for conflict resolution?
4. Am I providing good models for emotional control?
5. Am I providing good models for controlling bad habits (like
eating).
6. Am I afraid of my kids?
7. Do I rely more on praise or criticism to re-direct my kid’s
behavior?
8. Do the kids control the emotional climate of the home, or do I?
What if you don’t like the answers you are coming up with? If that is the case, choose one behavior, any behavior that you would like to see change, in yourself as a parent and leader, and try to create improvement in that area. See what I am saying here? Challenge yourself to become a better leader, don’t give yourself a homework assignment that requires some performance increase on the part of your kids. The challenge is always to become a better leader, not to put the burden on your children to make you feel that way.
You see, depending on your kids to validate your parenting leadership is not so reliable, especially if you have a child who is tough to manage. They are not always going to appreciate changes you make in your leadership. In fact their behavior might get worse before it gets better, while you are upping your demands on them, and improving your leadership style.
And with this point we come full circle, where the circle begins with the intention to lead, the actions taken to fulfill those intentions, the honest evaluation of those actions, and back to the
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