Hi  everyone had to share this forwarded msg with u all.
On attaching 'Labels' to your child's behaviour.
I remember growing up with many labels, like

'Weak in Math'

'Slow eater'

'Chatterbox'

'Non-stop nonsense'

'Attention seeker'

'Careless'

'Useless'
And one label that had almost become a self fulfilling prophecy, 'I'm unlucky, my stars are unlucky'
My parents unknowingly were labelling my behaviour and some where in the depth of my subconscious, I was retelling these stories to myself. Gradually these labels became my reality and my life was becoming a mess.
It took me 28 years to realise that I was unconsciously living with a label that's limiting me to live the life I desired.
But now as a parent I recognize the importance of seeing a child's behaviour as only a behaviour and ensuring not to attach a label to it.
So if your child takes a little more time to understand a concept, don't label 'Slow learner' maybe they'll take a little more time, but I'm sure once their foundation is strong, they'll grasp things more quickly.
If your child is not ready to share his toy, don't label 'selfish' maybe your child wants to ensure that his toy is going in careful hands.
If your child talks a lot, don't label 'too talkative' maybe he/she is a little more curious to explore their surroundings.
However your child behaves, as a parent you always have a choice to see the behaviour in an empowering way. Try to decode the purpose behind that behaviour and solve that purpose, the challenging behaviour will dissolve gradually.
Today I want you to pause and reflect on the labels you grew up with. Are they limiting you in anyway? Are you raising your children with any labels? If yes, can you drop it for a moment and have a look at your child's behaviour with a #nofilter approach.
Go ahead share your thoughts, I'm eager to explore this :)
©Gayatri Aptekar, 2017

Parent Coach, Therapist