Why Are We Doing This?
We at Youth Odyssey believe youth need guidance and consistency throughout all aspects of life. We provide it through our programs, teaching them life skills, but a few weeks with us is not enough for them to retain it all! That’s where the parents and guardians come in. Thus the idea of the “Parenting Corner” was born! That being said, welcome back to Youth Odyssey’s Parenting Corner! We are so glad to start this program back up and talk about real issues with our kids and how to handle them! Our goal is to arm parents and guardians with the tools necessary to deal with youth in their hardest developmental stages! This will be a monthly blog covering topics from the root of poor behavior to positive parenting and consistency! (Who really enjoys yelling 24/7 anyways?) So buckle your seatbelts, we’re about to embark on an exciting journey!
“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.” Jim Rohn
The Power of Consistency
The number one question parents ask themselves is, “Why won’t my kid(s) behave?” When a child is young and can’t communicate well, they use crying and flailing around to draw attention to themselves. Remember those good ol’ days? They do that so you as the parent/caregiver will figure out what they need. Upon the child throwing the fit or crying, we as caretakers rush to their aid to put an end to their supposed discomfort. No matter the time of day we seem to rush to them with zero regard for anything else. Later in life there are some similar reasons for bad behavior, but it gets a bit more complex. There can be a myriad of reasons that drives a child to misbehave and the hard part is figuring out which one/ones are the root cause for this specific incident.
The most common reason for misbehaving is the child doesn’t feel loved and accepted by their parents/guardians. With that said, every parent wants their kids to be successful in life. In order to have success they have to have dreams. In order to have dreams, they have to have hope. In order to have hope, they have to feel safe. In order to feel safe they have to feel loved. How do you demonstrate love to a child? Consistency. Here is a short video about the power of consistency, because nobody can explain things better than Denzel Washington and Will Smith!
Consistency is an all too familiar word that is great in theory but difficult to achieve. The reality is that society has painted a picture that giving people material things is how you let them know you love them. Time and time again this theory of showing love has failed. Consistency in all aspects of parenting (i.e. sticking to rules and punishments, showing up for ceremonies/games/ performances, etc) is what demonstrates love. To a child, though often times they don’t realize it, proves to them that you are willing to take the time to be there even when you don’t have the energy or desire. The fact that you do it anyway is what shows you care.
“Consistency is the true foundation of trust. Either keep your promises or do not make them.” Roy T. Bennett
This Month’s Action Step:
Instead of blaming your child’s negative behavior for the tension within your home (as hard as it is to not do because our kids know how to get under our skin!), think to yourself, “how am I demonstrating love to my kid(s)?” I challenge parents across the nation to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and start practicing consistency! It is the key to success in not only parenting, but all aspects of your life!
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