Prophets on Parenting

 I noticed three recurring similarities between the prophet’s quotes on parenting. The common themes that stood out to me where: know your children, not exercise harsh punishments, and control your temper. I noticed that they kept talking about these main three topics again and again. The differences between expressing anger and acting out in anger are very different in that one is verbal and could be done in a calm way while the other is physical and usually involves some sort of physical punishment. Seeing these messages over and over in different prophet’s quotes really helps build my testimony that I am on the right path in that I know that as we strive to express our feelings in a calm way and with explanation that we will be better communicators and more emotionally stable people.

 

I know that emotional coaching isn’t something that comes naturally to most parents. I have found watching re-watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood are good sources for emotional coaching in that they do go over a lot of emotions that are felt by children. I was reading a biography done about Mr. Rogers and he would regularly talk with a child physiologist about his show and going over new strategies and ways that he could reach children on their level. I found it fascinating and I started watching his shows watching for the ways that he would reach out to the children to pull them in and help make them feel safe even when expressing difficult to express emotions such as anger. Reading the quotes from the prophet’s just reaffirms what I was seeing in the response that my children give when I do use emotional coaching on them.