The Key to Cooperation

“When children feel connected to us, they WANT to be more cooperative.”  – Sarah Rosensweet

We all want things to go smoothly in our homes and in our daily routines.  

“Okay everyone, let’s tidy up the playroom!” And the kids drag their feet… Fighting over who played with what and why they shouldn’t have to help. 

“Can you please bring me your lunchbag from your backpack?” And they run past you up to their room. 

You ask your child (nicely) to stop singing the theme song from Paw Patrol because you have a headache and they ignore you and keep singing at the top of their lungs. 

It can be so frustrating when we are asking kids to do simple things and they are not cooperating with us. 

Connection is not a magic wand, but pretty close!  

And by the way- connection is not the same as love. I know you love your kids and they love you.

Connection is when you feel in synch with someone else…  

When you admire them and like them for who they are with all their quirks…  

When you care what they think and look forward to seeing and spending time with them.  

Think about a teacher, mentor, or boss that you really like and have a lot of respect for.  

You’re going to do your best work for that person.  

If your child has been uncooperative, start with trying to build connection.  

Delight in your child, laugh with them, focus on the positive and see what happens.

Do you need some more ideas for connection? Click here to read my blog on Connection Strategies. 

If you make connection a priority for a few days, you will see big changes! 

Sarah Rosensweet is a certified peaceful parenting coach, speaker, and educator. She lives in Toronto with her husband and three big kids (ages 15, 18, and 21). Peaceful parenting is a non-punitive, connection-based approach that uses firm limits with lots of empathy. Sarah works one-on-one virtually with parents all over the world to help them go from frustrated and overwhelmed to, “We’ve got this!”

Read more at: www.sarahrosensweet.com