Parenting today can feel like a balancing act, or like playing the Hokey-Pokey. It is tricky to know when to step in or when to step back, when to listen or when to advise, when to advocate or when to empower.
So often our vision of raising our children is based on our childhood experiences. When we ourselves have gone through our own challenges, we want to spare our children of that pain and anguish.
When a child goes through a similar struggle that their parent experienced, the parent is brought back to their childhood. Perhaps the parent had a hard time in school, was bullied, or struggled socially. When their child is going through a similar situation it can be hard on the parent to see their child struggle. This is where that balancing act comes into play.
A parent might feel themselves getting triggered, upset, or even angry when trying to protect their child. In this situation the best solution could be to ask one’s self, “Is this about my past, or is this about my child’s struggle?”.