Empowering questions for family

Every now and then it’s good to stop to talk about your daily life, because it changes constantly as the kids grow, responsibilities change and life moves forward. Even parenting undergoes constant changes and you keep learning new parenting skills. It’s a comforting idea that you keep learning it the entire time the kids grow. And even if there are older children in your family, their temperaments and changes in the world bring welcome new challenges to family life.

Questions to think about with the entire family every now and then:

• What’s our family good at? What makes us laugh together? Why is it nice?
• What kinds of challenges do we have in our daily life?
• What are our wishes?
• Where have we succeeded lately?

Each family member can answer the questions, and based on the answers you can compile a wish list and try to fulfil these wishes in your daily life. You can also compile a list of your strengths and successes to remind everyone about the power of positive things and appreciating them during busy daily life.

Questions to think about with your spouse every now and then:

• What are our strong points?
• Three things I like about you.
• What aspects of my parenting am I proud of?
• What would I like to improve?
• What needs do our children currently have, and how can we respond to them together?

Parenting is challenging at times, and you keep learning it as the kids grow. Chatting calmly together can make both adults and children understand more clearly what is important at the moment. There can never be too many positive words, and this skill too can be practised if it feels hard. Parenting requires a lot of energy, and you should spend time finding and treasuring positive moments.