Be the leader in your home
Welcome to Day 19 of 30 Days to Waldorf-Inspired Preschool at Home! (To start at the beginning, just click here!)
This week we’re going to tackle the topic of discipline. When you decide to be home with your children rather than sending them off to school you’re faced with dealing with their behavior all day long. This is both a challenge and an opportunity. Discipline needs to go well for homeschooling to go well.
Parents often struggle with discipline in the preschool years when their sweet babies grow into autonomous people. It’s hard to find a middle ground between too strict and too loose, and our own children push our buttons in ways we never saw coming.
The usual thinking on toddlers and preschoolers seems to be that they are challenging and take so much energy and are always testing limits. How about if we flip that around to this instead: The preschool years are a fabulous opportunity to build strong relationships and a positive family culture, to set expectations and develop good habits.
From a peaceful parenting perspective, leadership is at the heart of discipline. The young child comes into the world knowing nothing about social norms or how to behave in your particular family and community. She must learn everything from you.
Today I want you to be the leader in your home.
When you are the leader in your home, you create the container for your child to grow and thrive in. This container is your relationship, a peaceful home, your family culture, and rhythm.
When you are the leader in your home, you parent from a place of natural authority. You let your small child be a small child because you take responsibility for many of the day-to-day decisions and choices in life and for all of the large ones. You guide the rhythm, set consistent expectations, and hold the boundaries. You steer the ship so your child can relax and play.
When you are the leader in your home, you do your best to become someone you want your child to imitate (more about this in tomorrow’s post!).
When you are the leader in your home, you treat your child with respect and unconditional love. You understand that it isn’t possible for her to be “bad” because she simply isn’t conscious enough. You make the effort every day to be gentle, kind, and firm - to be a teacher, not a dictator. You believe in your child and you help him to do his best. You put your relationship first.
How to be the leader in your home:
1. Provide the containers within which your child can thrive: Home. Relationship. Family culture. Rhythm.
2. Notice whenever you are having negative thoughts about your child or your ability to parent your child. Then flip the script! Recognize this opportunity to teach your child well in the early years. Take the reigns and develop a positive attitude.
3. Ask yourself what you need to grow in your role as the leader in your home. Do you need support, affirmations, time to reflect, practice, prayer, mentorship, information, breaks, more sleep, a journal, a deeper commitment? Make a plan. You are your child’s best teacher and I believe in you. Do you believe in yourself?