Ever feel like you’re a broken record, telling your kid to stop or start something, and they respond like you’re chatting with a brick wall? It’s like I’ve entered the parental echo chamber! Now I totally get why my parents used to say the same to me. 😂
This got me thinking: there must be a different approach that works! So, what’s the new game plan? BAM! Enter Tony Robbins and his wisdom: “The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of the questions you are asking yourself,” and “We are defined by the stories we tell ourselves.”
Testing this out on the kiddos, I started by asking myself better questions and then hit them with stories. Maybe not what Tony had in mind, but hey, new idea, worth a shot.
Something I wanted to instil in my children was to move the glass away from the edge of the table so that it does not spill, as I witnessed many of these spillages. I began asking myself “How can I teach my kids to prevent spillages?”
One mission was to teach my munchkins the art of moving glasses away from the edge to avoid spills. Asking myself, “How can I teach my kids to prevent spillages?” led me to the revelation that direct orders weren’t doing the trick. Time for Plan B: storytelling.
Cue the tale of my childhood blunder – I vividly recounted a time when I left a glass at the edge of a friend’s bench. While being called, I turned around, inadvertently knocking the glass over. The result? Water spilled everywhere, drenching my clothes and making it look like I had wet my underwear.
Surprisingly, this storytelling trick worked like magic. The kids related to the personal saga, and the added humour made the lesson stick. It wasn’t just a boring order; it became a shared experience.
The success of this approach became evident when, on a subsequent occasion, my daughter reminded my son about the time “Mum looked like she wet her pants.” The story had left a lasting impression, turning a mundane instruction into a shared family memory.
Now, my children are story enthusiasts, eagerly requesting tales about Tuff or other characters whenever I run out of personal anecdotes. It has become an enjoyable method to impart life lessons, creating a bonding experience filled with laughter and quality time together.
This is a great alternative to ordering and correcting by providing life lessons in fun consumable content. Plus incorporating stories into our parenting toolkit adds depth and relatability to our lessons.
Sure, there are still moments of parental frustration where I resort to orders and corrections – I’m only human. But as Tony Robbins wisely advises, the questions we ask ourselves and the stories we share shape our lives and our children’s behaviour.
Remember, kids follow actions, not just words. So, not only are stories a powerful tool, but also ensure your actions align with the tales you tell. Happy parenting! 🚀
Check out one of my stories: No Chocolate for Maria.
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