“I’m afraid if I ease the restrictions on my oldest child,” one mother said, “the younger children will not understand why they don’t have the same privileges.” This attitude is all too common. Instead, Mom needs to tell the younger children that when they become as responsible as their older brother or sister, they too will have those special privileges. It is necessary to grant freedoms to your child as he or she attains the age-appropriate level of self-control. Granting freedoms to a child that are greater or lesser than the child’s capacity for self-control creates a state of developmental imbalance. If you withhold a freedom from a child who is developmentally and morally ready for it, you cause frustration, just as you do if you give freedoms to a child who is not ready for them. (On Becoming Preteen Wise: Parenting Your Child from 8-12 Years by Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam)
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 13:43:05 +0000
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