Today I want to talk about that sweetest of age, the early school age years. Depending on where you are listening from, school may start for your little one at age 3, as in Western Europe, or age 5-6, as is common in the Americas. Regardless of where and when your kidlet is attending school, you can take advantage of the power of routines to help at home and at school.

These years of early education are a remarkable time of transition for your child. Your little one will move from completely focusing on themselves to engaging with other children and adults. This is a huge opportunity for you, as a parent, to use this natural developmental stage to guide them towards behaviors that will help them understand their place in the larger context of the family, other children, and be in the classroom.

The key to guiding your child successfully during this stage is to set up an environment that supports this growing confidence to maximize their new skills and abilities while keeping them safe and avoiding accidental parenting. The best and easiest way to do this is by having clear, age-appropriate limits to protect their safety and building family routines so everyone can participate and feel good about being independent and successful contributing to family unit.

It’s hard to be a parent these days. There seems to be so much information out there in formats that are easily accessible, but try to remember that all the information you may see or read online is not what it appears to be. As a community, we need to start looking at what is happening and how we can help our kiddos thrive.

Being self-compassionate is a big part of being a parent who raises happy and healthy children. Being kind to ourselves, knowing that other parents are dealing with the same issues, and taking a mindful moment to recognize what is happening let’s us make better decisions.

Everyone knows that social media is highly edited. Only the best photos make the cut and normally only positive status updates are shared. Displaying overly-perfect images alerts people that it’s just too good to be true. This can cause feelings of distrust, envy or aggression if people feel you are creating separation, which is the opposite of what we should be doing with social media. We should want to create connection because connection helps us reduce stress and anxiety.

Allowing real life to be present in social media keeps you and your contacts close. When we share both positive and negative aspects of life online, and everything in between, more realistic relationships can be fostered and maintained. This leads to real closeness and strengthened bonds of friendship and kinship. If we are worried about sharing the negative stuff online, remember that our phones still work and we can give a good friend or family member a call to talk about the touch stuff.

Of course, being honest to ourselves is also really important. We are perfect just as we are. Our family is perfect just as they are. There is no reason to present ourselves or our family differently. You and I, and our families, are exactly where we are supposed to be in this moment. We need to let go of the need for perfection.

This is the final episode of Season 1. Please feel free to go back and listen to any episodes you may have missed. It would be so helpful if you dropped us a note or review so we know if this podcast is meeting your needs. You can email comments or questions to me at deanna@proactiveparenting.com. The feedback we receive will help us structure Season 2 content. Thank you in advance for your help!

Proactive Parenting is based on validated theories and scientific research to provide the information you need to care for your modern family. Not everyone grew up in a completely healthy family of origin and consequently may be unsure of how to be a parent when they start a family. Proactive Parenting was created for parents who need a solid foundation to start raising their children, and for parents who want to do better. It is a way to move past old behaviours, break unhealthy habits, and replace them with parenting actions that will lead to a healthy family life for both children and parents.

If you want to learn more about Proactive Parenting, please visit my webpage and social media sites:

Website: www.proactiveparenting.com

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