Strengthening behavior

When we say 'strengthening,' we mean improving the quality of our children's responses and behaviors.

We understand that setting firm boundaries is important to have a positive influence on our relationships. Respect and trust are fundamental to strengthening the bond between a parent and child.

Instead of resorting to force, we must look for more effective ways to achieve a positive relationship that invites dialogue. We will discuss the fundamental triad to achieve this: empathy, honesty and responsibility.

Understanding the cycle.

Human behavior is influenced by several factors that act in a cyclical manner. For example:

• If you talk to your child and notice that he is sad, you can try to cheer him up by telling him a joke. Although this may make him smile for a moment, the sadness will persist.

• Like a roller coaster, our emotions, attitudes and perceptions of reality can constantly change. One day you are elated and the next day listless, these emotional factors vary most of the time.

Empathy.

To strengthen the behavior as a result of these variable elements we have: empathic capacity, honesty and responsibility. All these qualities are inherent to a developmental education. Why empathy is added in the first order? The ability to know how to put ourselves in our child's place means to better understand him/her and to avoid future misunderstandings. As a parent, you have the right to scold inappropriate behaviors, but learn to look from your child's perspective and ask yourself:

• How does rigidity or punishment influence his or her personality?

Honesty.

It is good to delineate the role of friend or parent. A friend gives you a suggestion, but does not set the rules. A parent looks out for the safety of his child at any cost. What would be the middle ground between friend and parent? Trust, and how do we get them to trust us? By being empathetic enough to let their true feelings surface and open up to you:

• I understand how that makes you feel bad but.....

Expressing another, more relatable and emotional nuance. Being the friend who listens to them, and the parent who protects them.

Responsibility.

Responsibility is noticed when the child takes the reins of the problematic situation and accepts his part in the conflict. There is no absolute truth, but we can thoroughly analyze the points of view for a better understanding.<