Because we are imperfect humans living in an imperfect world, we sometimes encounter situations where we experience regrets. When our children make choices that turn out bad, we parents have often have regrets about our parenting. We think, ‘If only I had done something different, things might have turned out differently for them.” Being a mother with regrets about her parenting around the issues of alcohol use and the child of a mother with regrets (Honestly, mom, I think you did a great job), I decided to share this list of vital skills for parents I found at alcoholfreechildren .
It seems to me, that if parents do one of these six tasks daily and all of them within the month, they will have no cause for regrets when their children are confronted with an invitation to use alcohol before they come of age.
- Establish family rules—openly!
- Role model—consistently!
- Talk to kids—regularly!
- Monitor friends and activities—diligently!
- Confront—appropriately!
- Increase your knowledge—easily!
If you are already doing all of these behaviors regularly, that’s great. If not, choose one of the six behaviors you wish to improve upon until you have mastered them all. Then when your child is confronted with a decision around alcohol or other risky behaviors you can think of yourself as your child’s everyday hero instead of experiencing regrets. No matter which choice your child makes.
Kathy Getting
