The Dangers of Prideful Parenting
Do you find yourself struggling to connect with your child? Do you feel you are doing everything you know to do to be a "good parent"? Do you feel like you celebrate, champion, encourage and reward them for a job well done? Do you feel like you are constantly recognizing them and making sure they are seen and heard and they still appear distant?
This may be a case of *prideful parenting, * parenting in a way that appears to be helpful and beneficial to grow the relationship and help your child know and feel that you truly love them yet does the exact opposite.
Here are a few reasons:
1) You champion and cheer your child on when its something that feeds your ego instead of their soul
2) You celebrate the accomplishments they have that matter to you and overlook the ones that may be more meaningful to them
3) Your encourage is always in the direction you want them to go and wanes when its something they truly feel passionate about
This is something that is not always recognized by the parent doing it.
This is not something the child may even be able to articulate depending on their age yet the frustration and distant is the same as a child who can
If you want to avoid the pitfalls of prideful parenting here are a few questions to ask your child:
1) What really makes your heart sing?
2) What impact would you like to have in the world?
3) What would you do for a living if money didn't matter?
Once you explore the answers to these questions with your child then you will know what really and truly matters to them and what their goals and dreams truly are despite what matters to you or the goals and dreams you may have had for their life. When you celebrate, encourage and champion the things that light them up, make their hearts sing and truly matter to them you will see a relationship shift. Your child will truly know you see them, hear them and know them. Only then will they truly feel loved.