Scream-Free Parenting

This week, our MOPS meeting focused on calm parenting - with ideas taken primarily from the book Scream Free Parenting, by Hal Runkel. A few of the main points:

Calm yourself down by:
- Recognizing that you feel angry
- Understanding yourself and your trigger points . . . this includes pressure from within (lack of sleep, poor nutrition, hormones, personal expectations), pressure from without (relationships, finances, kids' behavior, others' expectations), and the anxiety that lies beneath your anger
- Increasing your window of response time . . . by counting to ten, taking a few steps back, giving yourself time to think

Take the anger out of discipline by:
- Precluding angry situations . . . that is, establishing patterns and habits that help prevent situations that lead to anger - for example:
- Constantly fill your children's emotional tanks
- Say yes to your kids as much as possible
- Don't use the phrase "pick your battles," because that puts you in the wrong frame of mind from the git-go (i.e., winning and losing, war, etc.)
- Know what your child understands developmentally
- Minimize surprises and maintain routines
- Build in time buffers (for example, take 15 minutes each evening to prepare for the next morning)
- Letting the consequences do the screaming . . . that is, remembering that the right consequences will get the desired result without you ever having to raise your voice

MOPS moms enjoying breakfast


MOPS Coordinator Lisa Hadlow

This week's announcements:

- Our November Ladies Night Out will be a Make Your Own Cards and Gifts Night on Wednesday, November 11 ($10 cost to cover supplies). MOPS moms should be receiving an Evite shortly; if you didn't receive the October Evite, please email DarienMOPS@gmail.com and we'll get you added to the list.

- The off-week Bible study "Where to, Lord?" continues on Wednesday, October 28, 9:30-11:00, and it's not too late to come; please email Elaine at elainetalking@gmail.com if you're interested.

- Operation Christmas Child: Each MOPS table is putting together two shoe boxes of gifts for less fortunate children around the world; don't forget to bring your items to the next meeting, November 4. If you missed this week's MOPS, your table leader will be contacting you about what items are still needed for your boxes.