Yes, some children are more challenging than others. But whatever our child's behavior, some of us find it harder to stay calm than others. Why?
Sometimes, it's just our stress level. We all know that when we're under stress, we're less patient.
But most often it's our own thoughts and attitudes, which determine the way we interpret the situation. So where one parent might respond to a child's rudeness with quiet dignity and curiosity about why the child is so upset, another might get triggered, believing that defiance is dangerous.
We frequently don't even notice the beliefs, which are often unconscious and were usually shaped in early childhood. For instance:
- If our parents reacted harshly when we got upset, we concluded that getting emotional is an emergency, so we go into fight or flight mode when our child gets upset -- and then our child looks like the enemy.
- If we weren't treated with respect when we were young, we may grow into adults who perceive others as disrespecting us -- and we may react with anger to the slightest defiance, even from a three year old.
- If we never felt really seen and heard and appreciated for who we are, we may think that children who are being emotional or acting out "just want attention" -- as if children needing to be attended to is a bad thing!
- If we concluded as children that we simply weren't good enough, then we'll set impossibly high standards for ourselves and torment ourselves with self criticism--and, even if we try not to visit that perfectionism on our children, they may always feel they aren’t quite good enough.
Our beliefs, or story lines, are like a subconscious worldview that shapes how we perceive our experiences. Our belief systems give rise to our thoughts, so it's usually our subconscious beliefs that lead us to get so upset at our kids, and to be so critical of ourselves.
Why is the mind so self-critical? One of the core unconscious beliefs of most human minds is that if we're not perfect, we might not be loved, and if we aren't loved, we'll die. So the mind has a big incentive to bludgeon us into perfection. Guess where the mind formed that belief?
- When we were infants, and would have died if we couldn't get our parents to love and care for us.
- When our parents, because of their own issues, couldn't unconditionally love us, so we concluded that we weren't lovable.
- When we were punished as children and secretly gave up on being able to please our parents.
- Any time we felt criticized, and therefore judged ourselves as not good enough.
Ready to heal your self criticism?
Six simple steps. (Okay, not so easy. But simple. You can do this.)
1. Say aloud: "I have to be perfect to be loved."
Notice your emotional and/or physical reaction. (There was a time when this phrase made me crumple. Now it makes me bristle slightly.) This is what we're going to heal. Now just put that aside for a moment.
2. How did your parents react when you displeased them?
Imagine an incident from your childhood when you displeased your parents. Play the scene out in your mind, watching. Notice their reactions. Notice your reactions. What did you feel? How did you act on the outside? What did you conclude?
3. Can you see why you concluded that you weren't "good enough"?
Did you conclude that you weren't good enough to be wholly lovable, from this interaction and others?
After you "learned" this belief, you may have applied it to many other situations. Thoughts derived from this belief may shape your perceptions and feelings even today.
4. Imagine a compassionate observer watching this interaction with your parents.
Might someone watching have formed a different interpretation than you did? For instance, might they have concluded that:
- Your parents were well-intentioned and loved you, but were misinformed about bringing up emotionally healthy children?
- Your parents' expectations were unreasonable?
- Even if you had been perfect your parents might have found fault with you just because they were human and hadn't been unconditionally loved themselves?
- Humans are by definition imperfect, but you were then and are now "more than enough" and completely lovable?
5. Now, let’s give your younger self that alternative explanation for your parents’ behavior.
Tell yourself, “You are lovable and more than enough, just the way you are.” Say it aloud. (Yes, aloud. That’s an important part of reprogramming your subconscious. We need to hear the words.) How does that feel? Say it again. Let that good feeling sink in. Say it again: “I am more than enough.”
6. Now say aloud again, “I have to be perfect to be loved.”
Notice your emotional reaction. Are you indignant now, rather than hopeless? That’s a good sign. If the words just feel flat, with no emotional resonance, they’re no longer true for you. If they feel even a bit true, just keep repeating this exercise until the belief is gone. A deep belief like this one can take some daily reflection to “reprogram,” maybe even a few minutes daily for a month. But, since this belief is behind so much of our inner criticism, it’s worth it—even, potentially, miraculous.
Aside to self-critical parents: Are you feeling a bit nervous about the beliefs your child is forming? You don’t have to be perfect. Deep beliefs don’t derive from a single incident but from the accumulation of repeated parent–child interactions. Just keep supporting yourself to stay emotionally regulated and connected, and your child’s beliefs will keep evolving as you do. I promise.
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“I was born perfect. The rest is just beliefs that I picked up… I don’t believe them anymore. I choose to believe that I am perfect and whole.” – Caron Goode
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In the next few weeks, we'll be interspersing more Spring Cleaning for Your Psyche with our regular posts about kids and parenting. Watch for the other posts in this series:
5 Strategies to Tame Your Inner Critic
Don't Believe Everything You Think
Want to Stop Being Upset? Change Your Mind.
6 Steps to Vaporize Your Negative Beliefs and Heal Your Self Criticism
Transform Your Inner Critic Into Your Inner Nurturing Parent
Go Out of Your Mind...And Into Your Body
How to Love Being with Your Kids? Dive Deeper.
