When parents are INCONGRUENT, children learn:
To doubt their version of reality.
To not trust themselves and even things they see and hear.
That people are not honest or safe.
When parents are CONGRUENT, children learn:
To trust themselves.
To trust other people.
How to own their mistakes.
They learn to tell the truth.
Parental congruence is an essential part of children’s emotional intelligence learning process.
As a parent, I like to question my automatic responses and check in with myself to see if what I have just said is true. If it’s not, I do my best to rectify it in the moment, to own myself as being on autopilot or to have simply made a mistake. When I allow myself to make mistakes, my kids allow themselves the same privileges through my modeling. We are human – we all make mistakes.
Let’s remember our humanity today – we all make mistakes.
Love, Jen
