Parenthood is an immensely fulfiling journey, but it also comes with countless stressful and frustrating moments. Every day, in our interactions with children, events and situations occur that cause us to stop and think again – they might puzzle, worry or even surprise us. It is beneficial to take time to reflect on and record a recent interaction or event with your child which puzzled or surprised you. Ask yourself - What, if anything, did you ‘do’ about this situation or 'problem'?
Transform your parenting style through critical reflection
In order to better understand events and occurrences that occur on a daily basis, try to consciously practise critical reflection. Critical reflection refers to a process of thoughtfully considering certain parenting practices. Often this process will start with describing the challenging situation you are facing e.g.
"I cannot figure out why there is always such a mess at the end of the day. I keep asking my child to put the toys away, but at the end of every day, everything is always on the floor or shoved behind the couch."
A description of the situation must then be followed by an analysis - an attempt to make meaning of what puzzles us and unpack the issue into its smaller parts. This will involve establishing questions for yourself to better examine the situation at hand.
Ask yourself reflective questions
In relation to the aforementioned issue with the mess at home, you could ask these questions:
Embrace your parenting journey
When we attempt to look at a 'challenge' from a variety of different perspectives i.e. talking with family members who share the space or talking with children to gain their perspectives, and closely examine various aspects of the situation, we become empowered to take action to improve the situation. Remember to praise your child when he or she works cooperatively with you.
Such critical reflection helps you to identify success factors and improvement areas - what worked and why (as well as what didn't work and why), which is crucial in your parenting journey.
Source: Parenting Tips: Critical Reflection and Why Is It Important?