summer of love — week 7

w7

Start a love triangle.

No, no, nothing that will land you trouble or be the basis for a network television special. Start a full-on love triangle with your little one.

Here’s how it goes: 1-1-1.

  • For each direction you give {let’s get ready to go to the park},
  • each correction you state {please stop whining},
  • make sure there is one unconditional comment of love {I love watching you paint}.

Why? Because we all follow directions and make changes more willingly when we feel well-loved. And there are some ages & stages {hello 3 year old} that feel like all we do all day long is tell them what to do differently. Which tips everything over. Building a love triangle helps keep us in balance.

w7d1

Monday: listen to yourself. How lopsided is your triangle? Which way do you lean? {grab a piece of paper, jot notes on your phone, find a quick way to assess your current triangle. Which type of comment leads the way? Which side of your triangle needs more attention?}

w7d2Tuesday: Think equilateral. Today’s mantra: 1-1-1. Yesterday was about listening, today is about changing. Each time you hear yourself give a direction or a correction, make a mental note and squeeze in some love. {or whichever way your triangle needs to tip}. It may seem an impossible task to track it all day long, so start small. Try it for a few minutes. Each hour. Build from there.
w7d3Wednesday: Isn’t geometry great? And doing homework was always more fun when we did it with a friend, right? So keep on practicing your 1-1-1 today, and reach out to your sumbud. Which part of the triangle is challenging? Where is change easy? What time of day feels lopsided? Help each other out. Because doing homework together? We have a better chance of solving the problems.
w7d4 Thursday: Tuesday’s mantra of 1-1-1 continues, with a twist. We’re looking ahead to next weeks’ value. Which of the values left on your list will help you keep the love triangle going next week? Plan accordingly.

 

w7d5 Friday: Feelings. how did it feel to communicate with your kiddos this way? Pull out your weekly calendar. See the sweet space for feelings? record the ones for this week here. just a word. or two. or three. triangularize to remember the love.

Free Guide: 5 changes in 5 minutes to make parenting better, easier, right now!