“Choosing not to shame, or instruct, or correct, but rather observe, delight in, and love your child with no strings attached is as active-parenting as it gets.”
On a few occasions we didn’t know what the best course of action is, and as a result sometimes we chose to be more strict, and other times we seemingly gave up and decided to go with the flow. As it turns out, letting go found its balance. But out of fear that we don’t do enough, when we do too much we can push ourselves into a corner.
I realize that patience is a muscle that needs to be strengthened. Daily. And that I haven’t gotten upset in a long time, not that Jaclyn doesn’t test the boundaries, but because I decided to choose to respond with kindness. And there are times when I take a step back, but I will never withdraw from the relationship. Distancing oneself as a form of control or punishment is of the worst kind. I would take yelling over the silence treatment any day.
I read that opening quote in an article. And it made me smile. Not because we don’t instruct or correct, but because the majority of time we choose to delight in Jaclyn, and watching her blossom it confirms that delighting in her is active parenting.