“Work is not man’s punishment. It is his reward and his strength and his pleasure.”
–George Sand

 

Parenting Practice: Getting Kids to Do Boring But Necessary Tasks

1) Do some planning around the chore you need your child to do. How can you make whatever it is you are trying to motivate your children to do more playful and more purposeful?

2) Practice making requests of your children using the ERN method:

Show Empathy,

Offer Rationale, and

Use Non-controlling language.

Instead of trying to do all three of these things at once, just start with one and build from there. For example, I started with the thing that came least easily for me–using non-controlling language. Once I was in the habit of not-being-so-bossy, I started practicing showing more empathy, and finally, I was able to add in the use of rationale. Better to learn to do this slowly and build an effective habit than get overwhelmed and stop trying early on.

Please come back to this post and let us know what works. Your success stories help others see how they, too, can be successful. So go ahead and brag when something is going well for you! And definitely don’t hesitate to ask questions or for support.

This video is the 3rd in a series about boosting emotional intelligence from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here.

If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below.
DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.