Health, Fashion, Parenting and Women Related Issues

Although it can take a tremendous amount of self-discipline to avoid taking the bait on days when your child seems determined to trap you in a power struggle, it’s important to do just that and keep your cool. Here’s what you stand to lose if you freak out:

Your credibility as a parent. If you become angry and your child was deliberately seeking that kind of reaction from you, you lose some of your credibility as a parent and tip the power balance in your child’s favor.

Your effectiveness as a parent. You may find yourself giving in to your child to make up for losing your cool. These sorts of flip-flops are confusing to a child and make you a much less effective parent.

Your decision-making abilities. Getting trapped in a power struggle impairs your judgment and makes it difficult for you to make well-reasoned parenting decisions. You may find that you are so busy reacting to your child’s recent behavior that you find it difficult to plan your next parenting move.

Your enjoyment of parenting. You may find yourself feeling increasingly disconnected from your child and increasingly disenchanted with your parenting responsibilities. No one likes to feel as if they are being manipulated, parents included. If you feel like your child has managed to wrestle away some of the power and control that is rightfully yours as a parent, you may be angry at yourself for allowing that to happen and resentful toward your child for gaining the upper hand—something that can put you on the fast-track to parent burnout.