Positive Parenting 101, in its first season, features Key Principles for Building Confident, Secure, and Resilient Children: Correction vs. Punishment..

You know, that question is so open-ended because most of us as parents, as we're working through those early years in particular, we don't know.

We don't know if we're doing a good job or not.

We get them to sleep at the end of the day and we think, oh, we made it through today.

And I'll tell you, this is my personal theory of child rearing.

The child's first five years feel like 10 years.

The next 10 feel like five.

And then you're just trying to get through those last few years to get them to college, to work, to be independent of you.

So gauging how you're doing is something we're going to be specific about.

We're going to talk about the early years.

We're going to talk about the mid years.

And we'll even talk about the teenage years in gauging how we're doing, because sometimes They can try your patience.

I have another thing I used to say.

Toddlers are adorable, so they survive.

Because to me, those toddler years were quite challenging.

When they could do something new every day and you really couldn't take your eyes off of them, they were always into something new.

that felt like, ah, are we going to make it through this? And, you know, the truth is parenting is a humbling experience, especially if you truly love and care about your children, which I'm trusting that our listeners really love and care about their children.

And that's why they're here.

Definitely.

You know, people, you were doing the positive parenting right when, over time, your child feels emotionally safe with you, stays connected even after conflict, and gradually shows more self-control Honesty and responsibility, not because they are fear punishment, but because they understand expectations and consequences.

The real gauge is not a perfect behavior, but strong parent-child relationship where mistakes lead to learning.