Thank you to everyone who quickly jumped on board with the 30 Days of Change Challenge before really knowing what we would be working on together.
Today I’m sharing our first challenge: Parenting. If you are not a parent or your children have left the nest, don’t worry! You can still participate in this challenge. The purpose is to create a happier, less stressful relationship with our children, so to participate simply choose a person in your life with whom you would like an easier repoire.
How the Challenge Works
Each day for 30 days (not necessarily consecutive) I will suggest a challenge for the following day. Try it and stick with it for the entire day. Did you see a change? How about after all 30 Days of Change? My hope is that we can change one very simple thing each day and the overall affect is general improvement in our lives, especially in the focus area of each challenge.
How You Can Share
At the end of this post you will find two Mr. Linkies. The first Mr. Linky is to show that you’re on board for this challenge! Join us! You can just add your name, your blog URL, or even your Twitter ID. If you tweet about your participation use the hashtag #OutOnALimb because that’s where we’re headed with the hope of positive change in our lives. The second Mr. Linky is a place for you to share if you blog about how the challenge is working – or not working! – in your life. If you post about the changes you’re making, come share with us so that we can visit your site. You can also comment at the end of any challenge post to let us know what is working and what is not.
I’m Participating
I Blogged About It
Want to let your readers know what you’re up to so that they can join you? Grab the 30 Days of Change badge here:
30 Days of Change Parenting Challenge – Day One
Throughout the entire day tomorrow, say the word “no” to your children as infrequently as possible.
This challenge does not require that you allow them to do things that are unsafe or break major rules in your home. It asks two things of you as a parent. First, as parents our knee-jerk response is no instead of yes. How many times in a day do you say no when yes would have been just fine and your child would have been much happier? So it’s fifteen minutes until dinner and he wants to get out the Play-Doh. Would you all be happier if you have a bit more clean-up before setting the table, but he hears a yes instead of one more no in his day filled with boundaries? The other part of this challenge asks that you take a look at your word choice. Rather than shutting down your child with a no, can you offer a positive redirect as an alternative?
Good luck! Be sure to tell us now it goes and how many smiles you see from your children!