Secure Your Own Mask

Sometimes parents ask me for advice.  I am always careful when doing so for the reason that I do not know them that well AND it is beyond the scope of my training.  My best advice for parents struggling with something, whether it is their own feelings or how to work with a difficulty with their child, is to get the appropriate help for themselves.  It is like telling passengers on an airplane to "secure your own airmask before assisting others".  The same advice is true for me.  If I want to be a successful (helpful) school counselor, I must seek help for any of my own struggles before assisting others.

I once again turn our attention to Parents magazine.  It is as though after saying I did not find it very helpful, the writers found topics that would grab my attention!

This months edition featured an article I thought parents would want to read: "The One-Week Fix for Bad Behavior".  I do not want to encourage anyone to believe we can fix problems in one week, but the underlying message is important.  Here is what the author had to say: "My plan was to end my kids' whining, hitting, and tantrums in seven days. But first I had to change my own actions." 

We cannot expect things around us to change if we do not change ourselves.  For more information on that article, check out the October 2011 edition: page 56.