203: From Fear to Cheer: Transform Your Holiday Parenting

Warning: today I’m going to present an idea that you may not want
your kids to hear, so I recommend listening to this when you’re
away from your children. 


The holiday season is upon us, and there are so many things about
this season that I love; cozying up by the fire, watching
football games, the general sense of the occasion and that it’s a
special time of year. But there is something that I don’t love,
and you might not even realize you’re doing it.


You might have heard of Elf on the Shelf, and you might even be
using it as a way to make sure your kids behave during the
holiday season. You know the drill – you tell your kids that if
they misbehave, the elf will see everything and tell Santa not to
bring them any presents. But there’s a big issue with using the
elf in this way, and I’m explaining my problem with it this week.


In this episode, I’m sharing why using Elf on the Shelf as a tool
to keep your kids behaving during the holidays is actually
fear-based parenting. I’m showing you how to stop using Elf on
the Shelf as a tool for punishment and instead start using it to
connect with your kids, and some tips to help you move away from
fear-based parenting during the holidays.



What You'll Learn:




What fear-based parenting is and why it’s such a problem.




How you might be applying fear-based parenting without
realizing it.




Some tips for using Elf on the Shelf as a tool for connection
and cooperation with your kids.




Why getting curious, not furious, is even more important at
this time of year.




How the holidays might bring extra emotions for your children
and why you need to let them have them.




Why threats and punishments are never the way to get your
kids to behave.




How to notice if you’re using fear-based parenting around the
holidays.