What molds our brain? Experience.

“May I have the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

This comes from having our observing circuits well developed, too, not just our sensing circuits.

compromise isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s evidence of respect for your child and his desires.

Kids don’t need their parents to tell them not to make bad decisions. What they need is for their parents to redirect them, helping them recognize the bad decisions they’re making and what leads up to those decisions, so they can correct themselves and change whatever needs to be changed.

Physical safety is non-negotiable.

Let’s get clear on the difference between the two terms. Consistency means working from a reliable and coherent philosophy so that our kids know what we expect of them and what they should expect from us. Rigidity, on the other hand, means maintaining an unswerving devotion to rules we’ve set up, sometimes without having even thought them through,

A simple way to think about redirection is to take a 1-2-3 approach that focuses on one definition, two principles, and three desired outcomes.

Even if an emotion seems ridiculous to you, don’t forget that it’s very real to your child, so you don’t want to dismiss something that’s important to her.