AskHal

Hal is not the only one good at giving ScreamFree advice. We recently came across this question on our forum and we were impressed by the solutions our ScreamFree parents gave out. The question was from a mom so frustrated with her two tweens and their lack of responsibility that she didn’t know what to do. Click on this link to find out what other parents like you said.

Hal here,

These responses are realy very good. I especially like the last one where the mom tells the original poster that nagging (in an effort to make her children more responsible) is actually making them less responsible! That gets to the heart of the matter far better than I ever could. Brilliantly done.

I absolutely loved reading this back and forth exchange between moms trying to figure out how to apply the ScreamFree principles to their unique situations. As everyone knows, it's one thing to understand the principle of being "responsible to" your children vs. being "responsible for" them, but it's another ball of wax altogether to put that into practice. You are going to make mistakes as you incorporate this new way of thinking into your homes. That's ok. That's how you learn. Just remember to apply that same principle to your children. Set clear guidelines and consequences, allow them to make mistakes, and walk beside them as they go through the learning process. Being a parent is a tough gig. But by being a little more like a tour guide and a little less like an animal trainer, you'll be helping your kids along the best path possible.

Take care and stay cool,

Hal