What can I do?
There are kids who like to take the medicine and there are other kids who do not, I have kids on both sides. I had to run all over the house and convince my oldest son to take his medicine, my other two kids love medicine or at least they take their medicines since early age without many complaints.
Empathy is powerful proof of caring.
–Dorothy Corkille Briggs
Similarly when my kids are waking up in the morning to go to the school, the smallest is usually the first wake up and for the other two is a littler bit harder. What can we do as parents to improve these situations?
With medicines I had to switch what I said to my oldest son. Earlier I told him that the medicine tasted good (which was not true) and that he should drink it fast. Now I try my best to be empathic, I say the reality whether the medicine tastes bad I tell him that the medicine taste disgusting (this is the term used by my own kids) and I offer him a drink that can promptly remove the flavor of his mouth. I also remind him that the Dr. said he should drink it to get better.
When you are empathic, you do not try to change a child’s feelings.
–Dorothy Corkille Briggs
The outcome, I do not run all over the house for my child to take his medicine. I say the truth and understand that many times the medicine may not taste well. The same happens at the time of waking up in the morning. Instead of telling them to wake up that they must be full of energy because they slept all night, I sing a song ‘Good morning my friends. How are you?’ The song continues with a Very Well!, I changed it a bit and instead of saying very well I say ‘Sleepy’ or ‘Tired.’ Sometimes I tell them that I was very sleepy and was not easy for me to wake up, just the truth.
In brief, when we accept that the medicine taste disgusting or that our kids do not want to get up to go to the school we are accepting their feelings without trying to change them, they will feel understood and «understanding is the language of love»-Dorothy Corkille Briggs.
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