The school year is underway for my newly minted 6th grader, and my high schoolers start tomorrow. Their independence inspires me...90% of the time! The other 10%, it kind of scares the sh*t out of me!
If you missed last week's zoom meeting on "How to do a Back to School Family Reset," you can pick up the recording for just $7 by clicking: RIGHT HERE.
Let's get started with Two Tip Tuesday!
1. How to Get Your Child Talking After School
I was so excited when my son got into the car after his first day of middle school. I couldn't wait to find out how it went, so I peppered him with questions. My excitement turned to sadness with each one-word-answer.
For today's tip, I'm sharing how I handled "Car Ride Home Day 2" in hopes it can help you too:
ME: How was your day?
HIM: Fine
ME: Do you want me to stop asking you questions about it?
HIM: YES
ME: Okay, I can do that.
{A few minutes of silence passes}
ME: {with playfulness in my tone} Ya know, if you're not going to tell me how your day was, you could at least have the decency to ask me how my day was.
HIM: Okay, how was your day?
ME: Thank you for asking! {I proceed to share openly about a hard decision I had to make at work and also a joyful moment I had}
{A few minutes of silence passes}
HIM: I got my student I.D. today. Do you want to see it?
ME: I do! As soon as we get home. Does it have your picture on it?
HIM: Yeah, but I look bad.
ME: I'll be the judge. By the way, as soon as we get home, you'll need to wash the grapes {his chore}. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.
HIM: Huh?
ME: {I'll spare you, but I gave him a full on explanation of Monopoly rules - if you know you know.}
When we got home, I sat on the couch and LITERALLY SAID NOTHING! Within moments, he came over to me to show me his I.D., his new Chromebook, and his homework schedule. I was all ears and he was finally talking and answering my questions.
Eventually, he washed the grapes. Then he said, "HA, I passed GO AND collected $200."
The banker in me was glad to "pay."
2. The 3 P's of Modern Digital Parenting
Today's red hot resource is an article I saw on LinkedIn that I think you'll find useful.
It's about balancing these three digital parenting styles.
Phubbing Parent: When you prioritize your phone over your child.
Pickup Parent: When you unconsciously/constantly pick up your phone just to check it.
Present Parent: When you live in the moment, not attached to your phone.
I shared the article with my family and asked them to hold me accountable when I'm not being a Present Parent.
Adding this language to our family life has been very eye-opening.
❤️ Rachel
P.S. Don't forget! You can pick up "How to do a Back to School Family Reset," for just $7 by clicking: RIGHT HERE. You'll see a photo diary of my family reset meeting from this year, the final routines, rules, chore list, breakfast plan, and lunch plan. Plus you'll learn several ways to leverage a good old whiteboard to make a more functional (and fun!) family life.
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