Have you ever seen this meme?
Every time I see these words, I feel very sad. Why do so many people think we can’t be both parent and friend to our children? Do we really need to be their worst nightmare in order to be responsible and caring parents?
In this week’s podcast, episode 82, I talk about how NOT to be our child’s worst nightmare. I discuss the following questions:
- How can we be both parent and friend to our children?
- What should we do if our kids get into trouble?
- What if we put effort into our relationships and we don’t get the response we’re hoping for?
- Is unschooling just as much about a parent as it is about a child?
- How can we become best friends with our spouses?
I also talk more about being daring and adventurous parents.
Show Notes
Michael Hyatt
My New Children’s Novel
The Angels of Gum Tree Road: Amazon print copy
The Angels of Gum Tree Road: Kindle ebook
My Podcast
on iTunes
on Podbean
How to Write a review or leave a rating in the iTunes Store or App Store
My podcast blog posts
Podcast music
60’s Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
I’d love you to stop by and share your thoughts. How do we become good friends with our kids? What do you do to nurture your family relationships?
Hi Sue,
It is an aggressive meme, isn't it? I wonder if the parent who wrote it had a child on drugs or involved in criminal activities. Would stalking really work, do you think? I haven't faced those sorts of issues so I'm not sure what would make a parent resort to these extremes but I must admit that the words make me feel very uncomfortable.
I agree about joining in with the swimming. After taking swimming lessons with my older children, I was able to swim with them and enjoy our pool together. I still get nervous for them at the beach, though.
Congratulations on publishing the paperback version of The Angels of Gum Tree Road! I'm looking forward to the audio version coming out xx
Vicky,
Yes, the meme makes me feel uncomfortable too, but I'm sure that whoever wrote it cared very much about their child. Yes, as they said, they stalk and flip out and will do anything, including hunting a child to the ends of the earth, to keep them safe. It was written out of love. It's just sad that many parents feel they have to keep tight control over their kids in order to keep them safe. Maybe they haven't considered there's another way, a gentler and more respectful way to parent.
Thank you for your congratulations. An audiobook? I'd love to make one. A project for the future, maybe!
It's lovely to see you on my blog. I've missed chatting with you here. Thank you for stopping by!