I am a believer in Last Child in the Woods. We over-schedule kids and wonder why they are stressed. On top of that, they pick up on your stress level. So slow down and quit trying to keep up with the Jones. Read the book mentioned above. Give kids time to explore nature. Nature is calming.

One secret that stood out to me was “Be Present.” It’s crucial to give our children undivided attention when they need it. In this age of technology, it’s easy to get distracted, but our children’s emotional well-being comes first.

Another useful tip is “Set Limits.” Establishing boundaries helps our children feel safe and secure. It also teaches them self-discipline and respect for others.

I highly recommend this article to any parent who wants to raise less stressed children. It’s full of practical advice and tips that can help create a peaceful and harmonious home environment for our little ones.

Definitely not too late, Lucia! Our awareness is everything. Now you can look at these ideas you mention and work at perceiving your role a bit differently. Also, the hardest part for all of us, which is perceiving crying and other emotional releases as positive, therapeutic moments, rather than signs we are failing and everything’s wrong. It’s a lifelong struggle to turn this around, but even in beginning the process, you will see improvements. Some of the weight of responsibility you are carrying will lessen when you let go and let the feelings be. You can do this! Here’s another post that may be helpful to you:https://www.janetlansbury.com/2013/06/never-too-late-for-respectful-parenting/

Also, maybe this podcast: https://www.janetlansbury.com/2019/02/never-too-late-to-become-the-parent-you-want-to-be/

All this changed at 18mo but from this article it seems that it is too late ?

I love your advice on self-directed play and learning as they’re ready. I admittedly struggle with this a lot; like for a long time when we’d color together, my daughter low key encouraged me to color the whole thing—I just wanted her to color it herself and entertained the “shouldn’t she be able to color a whole page by herself by now?” thoughts… eventually she started to color entire pages on her own, very creatively too! Playing together, letting her direct has been such an incredible process and one where I learn too. It takes a lot to push aside the “shouldn’t she be able to do this by now?” thoughts, but it has made all the difference for my daughter’s confidence and creativity. Children blossom in their own time and your article empowers us to be patient and trust our child’s ability. Thank you!

Side note: I give so much credit to my mom and mother in law for helping me develop this skill. I realize that I have such immense privilege to learn positive parenting skills from the elders in my life, something that I feel we don’t value enough as a society.

That’s a very tough situation, Nora… Having a different opinion is one thing; thinking you are “nuts” is another. Have you considered couples counseling?