Want to develop self control in your children? Here is how to get started?

Corona has taught us some interesting lessons. How to increase our sources of energy? I was finding myself exhausted while having a relatively long counseling session with a parent four days back. This was like a calling moment for me. Following thoughts started echoing-
I need to go beyond living for work, children and house.
I need to work towards keeping myself fit, happy and energized immaterial of work, children and house.

For the last two days, I have started going for an one hour walk/jog in the morning. And have already started sensing the kick!!

Falling in love with yourself is the starting point to spreading love around!!

One great thing that happened was to have a fixed sleeping time. Often we aim to have an early wake up time…more important, to be fair to the body’s need to have a good rest is, a fixed sleep time.

The challenge here was if I wish hit the bed at 10pm, how do I control the 10:30pm sleep time for the children. I decided where I need to delegate….I need to delegate! I asked the three kids at home-
I expect all three of you to sleep at 10:30pm.

As a parent it is important to set expectations with full confidence that it would be followed.

I continued — I am retiring early. So who is in charge to turn off the lights today?

One of them volunteered. Great. Now it is important to guide the children on how to do as well. Children often try to immulate the adults by taking the authority part as well along with the responsibility leading to many heart burns and sibling rivalries while the child does a my-way-only-act. The children fall in love with end result. Just see how a monitor acts in the class in the absence of the teacher!

I guided- Just count 10, 9, 8, 7, 6…1…and turn off the lights at 10:30pm. Don’t worry if any other child turns it on again to squeeze in extra reading time. Your responsibility ends at turning it off once. When you are sleeping, request the child to go to other room instead. Give me a report the next day on how did it go.

And I retire to my room at 9:30pm with a book (Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince) with lights off at 10pm. Later through closed eyes and deep breathing act to relax, I could hear the counting go in the other room…!!

Most important thing that parents could do towards helping their child find a control is…..getting the control of their own life that goes beyond work, children and family chores!