What’s in your parenting behavior plan? I know we all have goals for our children’s behaviors — what we’d like to see from them — but how about YOUR behaviors? Do you have a plan, with specifics that are motivating and fulfilling to you? Think about these things as you read and make some notes. What changes do you want to make in YOUR behavior?
— David Durovy
Oxytocin Parenting is an approach that focuses on helping your child’s brain to develop a strong oxytocin response, that is, the ability to love and trust appropriately. There are four elements of Oxytocin Parenting:
1) Relationship: Parent from a place of calm and connection. We’re social mammals who need skin-to-skin contact and emotional connection at every age. Through a process called co-regulation, you teach your child learn to cope with stress and to connect with love through your own behavior. This approach may require you to do some work building up your own coping and connection skills. When you’re angry, stressed out or depressed, for example, it’s really hard to be open to your child’s needs.
2) Influence: Show, don’t tell. Instead of trying to change your child’s behavior by telling him what you want him to do, guide him through your own actions. This guidance includes modeling behavior such as getting up on time or saying thank you, as well as letting him watch you respond to stress calmly.![Oxytocin Parenting]()
3) Understanding: Parent the stage, not the age. When we’re stressed, we regress to an earlier stage of emotional or cognitive development. This is especially true for children. When you understand your child’s developmental path, you can learn to give your child what he needs right now, not what you think he needs based on his physical age.
4) Flexibility: Give what’s needed in the way it can be received. Your child’s unique communication style may make it easier for her to take in information or emotional meaning in some ways more than others. Moreover, what works with your child on Tuesday may get the opposite response on Wednesday. Yes, this is frustrating. But the ability to alter your communication and action until you connect is essential.
Put these in your parenting behavior plan and let me know how it goes.
Choose Love,
—B
Want to Learn More? Get Bryan Post’s and Susan Kutchinska’s e-book for only $1.99 Kindle format on Amazon
