Join Aliza Pressman on "Raising Good Humans" as she delves into the landscape of modern parenting, navigating its complexities with domestic doyenne Martha Stewart in a compelling conversation on connection and resilience. As social media paves the way for communal parenting support, Pressman underlines the delicate art of introducing toddlers to significant life changes like new siblings by using time and seasons as relatable concepts. Touting the necessity for kids to face discomfort, she makes a case for the developmental importance of allowing them to grapple with challenges as part of their journey towards building resilience.
In a candid exploration of personal history, Martha Stewart shares insights from her own upbringing in a boisterous household, shaping her parenting values that resonate throughout the episode. Pressman and Stewart advocate the powerful practice of self-reflection to understand and refine one's parenting approach, while promoting the influence of clearly communicated family values and rules. Pressman provides practical advice on maintaining emotional composure as a cornerstone for teaching emotional regulation to children and discusses the crucial practice of repair in family relationships, reinforcing the idea that conflicts are learning opportunities for both parents and children.
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Aliza Pressman emphasizes that relationship building in modern times benefits from the convenience of social media, allowing parents to connect with others in similar situations. She notes the importance of timing in discussing new siblings with a toddler, advising that parents should wait until the pregnancy or adoption is public. Pressman warns that, while parents often want to shield their children from challenges, it's essential to let them experience discomfort to build resilience. To aid in understanding time and change for toddlers, she suggests explaining a new sibling's arrival in terms of seasons.
Pressman, joined by Martha Stewart, asserts that reflecting on one's childhood is crucial in shaping parenting approaches. Stewart reflects fondly on her lively, large family upbringing and discusses how it influenced her values. Pressman urges listeners to consider how past experiences shape current behaviors and relationships, highlighting introspection as a tool for breaking generational cycles. Furthermore, Pressman advises parents to establish a set of core family values, suggesting the creation of a family mission statement to encapsulate these ideals, which can profoundly affect the family's growth and unity.
Pressman discusses emotional regulation's significance in parenting, stating that children learn self-regulation through observing and interacting with calm adults. For parents, Pressman recommends strategies such as the 'hand on heart' technique to maintain calmness and model emotional control for their children. These practices are crucial for managing stress and teaching children how to self-regulate.
Setting rules is integral to parenting, according to Pressman, who sees them as reflections of family values. She notes that rules provide a structure for healthy relationships and stresses the importance of consistency with consequences. Pressman advises parents to center their rules around a family mission statement and to maintain emotional boundaries where children aren't burdened with managing a parent’s emotions. Guidelines for device use and consistent enforcement of consequences for misuse are touched upon as specific examples.
Pressman and Martha Stewart emphasize repair's role in sustaining healthy relationships. Pressman discusses how repair – the act of reconnecting after a conflict – is crucial for teaching children that relationship strains are normal and manageable. She highlights the need for guiding children through emotional discomfort and the importance of reconnecting constructively. The significance of acknowledging mistakes, showing empathy, and moving forward indicates that apologies likely play a part in the repair process.
1-Page Summary
Aliza Pressman addresses the complexities of relationship building in modern times, focusing on the subtleties of fostering connections while also maintaining healthy boundaries.
Aliza Pressman highlights that due to social media and modern communication methods, it has become more convenient for parents to find support and connection with others facing similar life situations. Parents now have more avenues to share their experiences, seek advice, and extend support, strengthening their relationship with peers going through the same stages of parenthood.
When it comes to preparing a toddler for the arrival of a second child, Pressman advises parents to wait until the pregnancy is visibly apparent or adoption plans are in the public domain to have this conversation with their toddler. She suggests straightforward communication about the arrival of the new family member and explaining the plan in simple terms that a toddler can comprehend.
A significant issue for parents, Pressman mentions, is navigating the dual need to cultivate a close relationship with their children while enforcing boundaries and rules. This delicate balance requires parents to understand that while they may wish to protect their children from all of life's challenges, doing so may not equip the child with the resilience needed to face adversity. ...
Relationship building
Aliza Pressman and Martha Stewart shed light on the significance of reflection on one's childhood and how it molds one's approach to parenting and familial relationships.
Stewart reminisces about her childhood in a large family and contrasts it with that of a single child from a wealthier background, noting how the dynamic of six children at home made for an exciting and fun environment. This reflection leads her to appreciate the inclusive atmosphere of her upbringing.
Pressman emphasizes the importance of reflecting on the past and its ripple effects on present relationships. She advises listeners to ponder their own childhood experiences and how those might shape their actions today. Stewart recounts how her mother, a teacher who also raised six children, relied on Dr. Spock's book, which influenced her method of parenting as she handled the challenges of an only child while drawing upon essential strategies from her mother's approach.
Pressman underscores the value of reflecting on one's parenting experience, stressing that it can significantly influence how one interacts around the world and even with grandchildren. Delving further, she suggests that introspection is crucial for breaking generational cycles and understanding how temperament, influenced by DNA, affects how children perceive the world and react to parental guidance.
To shape a nurturing environment for children, Pressman talks about the importance of identifying and embracing the values instilled during upbringing and determining how one wants to foster these within their family. She encourages parents to clearly identify their core values and what they earnestly care about.
Pres ...
Reflection
Pressman delineates the importance of emotional regulation, particularly in the context of parenting, underscoring the value of intentionality in managing emotions and choosing deliberate parenting practices.
Pressman touches on the concept of self-regulation in children, stating that kids learn to manage their emotions by observing adults who effectively handle their own responses in challenging situations. This observation leads to co-regulation, where a child learns to regulate their emotions through the support of an adult's calm nervous system. For example, Pressman points out that when parents maintain their composure during a child's tantrum, children can "borrow" from their parent's regulated state, which in turn teaches them how to calm themselves.
In terms of setting expectations, Pressman speaks on the subject of allowing children to face the natural consequences of their choices, such as deciding to wear a coat only when they start to feel cold. This strategy encourages children to develop their own self-regulation skills.
Pressman suggests self-regulatory practices for parents, men ...
Regulation
Pressman discusses the important role of rules within a close relationship, emphasizing the necessity of having boundaries and setting limits. She explains that rules are interpersonal boundaries or limits related to behavior that reflect the core values of a family or relationship. For instance, she talks about enforcing rules with children, like contributing to household chores or being kind to others, which, although resisted by kids at times, are non-negotiable since they embody the family's values. Rules, firmly grounded in one's values, form a structure upon which relationships can thrive.
Pressman advises that after reflecting on personal values, one can establish a family mission statement. This statement then becomes the cornerstone around which all imposed rules, boundaries, and limits are centered.
Continuing the discussion, Pressman addresses the practical application of rules by highlighting the importance of consistency with consequences. She uses the example of taking away a teenager's phone if it is misused, stressing that actions such as these underscore the need for consistent enforcement of rules to maintain their effectiveness.
Furthermore, Pressman advises on the appropriate age for a child to receive a cell phone and the limits on its use – that having a phon ...
Rules
Aliza Pressman and Martha Stewart discuss the crucial nature of repair in maintaining healthy relationships, emphasizing its role in learning and growth, particularly in family dynamics.
Pressman underscores the importance of repair in relationships, highlighting the need to return to a state of connection after experiences of disconnection. Repair is portrayed as an essential process, demonstrating to children that it's normal to encounter moments of strain in relationships and that it’s both possible and necessary to come back together and regain stability.
The conversation suggests that although relationships aren't always seamless, the act of returning to connection after a period of disconnection is a critical part of their maintenance. Pressman asserts that discomfort in relationships is okay and that it's important to guide children through such emotions rather than ignoring or downplaying them.
For older children, in particular, it's crucial to communicate that it’s acceptable to have intense emotions, such as anger, but that expressing those emotions should not include harmful behaviors like yelling. A constructive discussion can take place once all parties are calmer.
Pressman discusses the significance of making amends and taking a different approach, especially in the context of parenting and grandparenting, experiences familiar to Martha Stewart. Pressman emphasizes the teaching moment in making mistakes and subsequent repairs, stating that it allows children to learn that humans are fallible and that making mistakes is a normal part of life. This in turn shows children the importance of moving on constructively af ...
Repair
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