Kids make mistakes! Sometimes very BIG ones but they still require love, patience, understanding and fairness when dealing with the choices they have made.
As parents we are well aware of the fact that kids make mistakes. No matter how much we tell them right from wrong, good from bad they still find ways to give us a scare from time to time. I remember when my daughter was 8-years old, her and a friend decided to skip the bus and walk home from school (over 3 miles). At some point, they deduced that with how long the trip felt and all the stops the bus had to make they could easily get home quicker walking than riding the bus.
You can easily imagine the terror I felt when my child did not get off the bus as expected. The media has conditioned me well to think the worst. Quick note about our media; they typically show the exceptions, the worst that happens in our society. It isn’t the norm because the norm doesn’t get people worked up or increase ratings. Okay, back to the story… luckily while I was walking back from the bus stop my phone rang and it was a good samaritan who found our children a mile from the school. On a positive note; at least the kid knew my cell number.
Obviously, everything worked out and we had a long heart to heart talk about why this was a bad decision. Once I was able to get over the fear and anger I could see the so called logic behind her decision. When I tried to explain the time, speed, and distance relationship my daughter looked at me as if I were crazy. At least she is trying to figure things out on her own. Her heart wasn’t in a bad place, she wasn’t doing a bad thing, what she did was make a bad decision. Did she get punished? You bet! But she also got hugs, kisses and reassurance that she is a great kid.
We can’t live in fear or put our children in plastic bubbles but we can love them unconditionally, teach them and be there to help when they need it. It is impossible to protect them from everything, they will have to learn some lessons on their own. Just because our children make mistakes it doesn’t make us bad parents and it doesn’t mean they aren’t listening – they are. They are also simply trying to figure things out on their own.
- Children make mistakes.
- Stay calm until the crisis is over.
- Wait until you calm down to deliver punishment.
- Listen to what your kids have to say.
- We can’t protect them from everything.
- Children do listen to what their parents tell them.