Quote of the Day

"It's not called kidding--it's called parenting." -- Donna Acosta

As children, we learn many things from the people who raise us. Among the most important things we learn are how we should treat others, and how we can expect to be treated by others. We also learn what to expect from life.

If the people who raise us do a reasonably good job, we learn that we treat others with respect, others should treat us with respect, and life is worth living. Unfortunately, many of us had caregivers who weren't especially skilled in these areas...and now you may be treating yourself, or allowing others to treat you, the same way your caregivers did.

So how are you doing with parenting yourself? Do you treat yourself with respect, or do you neglect or indulge yourself? Do you treat others with respect, or do you neglect or indulge others? What do you expect from life? Are your beliefs about life positive or negative?

You can't go back and recapture your childhood, but you can commit to being an excellent parent now. I'm amping up my positive parenting this week by focusing on praise. Every day, as I use my planner, I praise myself. This morning I noted that I completed 15 of the 19 items in my planner list. In the past, I would have focused on the 4 items I didn't complete. Today, I'm complimenting myself on the 15 I did complete.

What can you do to parent yourself more effectively? Do you need to set limits in a more loving way? Be more consistent? Praise yourself for doing a great job, or just for being you? If you take one small step each day toward more effective parenting, you'll see and feel a significant change. Happy parenting :)!