Encompass Connection Center
  • Home
  • About ECC
  • Couples
    • Free Relationship Assessments
    • The RINGS Experience
    • RINGS Chat demo
    • 5 Love Languages Survey
    • RINGS to my community
    • RINGS Pathwright dashboard
  • Families
    • Free Parenting Assessment
    • Parenting for Kid's Sake
    • The REACH Experience
  • Organizations
    • FREE Workplace Teams Assessment
    • Work Smart, Live Well
  • Donate
  • Get in touch
  • BLOG
  • 20th Anniversary Event highlights
PRACTICAL TIPS & INSIGHTS FOR YOUR

RELATIONSHIPS

A one word job description for parents

7/1/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
​By Lavern Nissley

If you have children, or are planning to have children, what would you say is your one word job description as a parent? It could fit into the blank in this sentence: "I believe my parenting job description is to __________."
Although there are a handful of words that could easily sum up the essence of parenting, one word that fits well is TEACH.

When you think about it, that's a big responsibility! These little people come to us knowing absolutely nothing about how to take care of themselves or to navigate life. We have about 18 years to TEACH them what they need in order to be a responsible citizen on this planet.

When we raise this job description question with parents, some look at us blankly, as though we've asked them for an Einstein formula of some sort. But when they hear the single word "TEACH", their faces brighten, and they say, "Oh, yeah."

Having a one word job description is very helpful, for it helps us analyze our effectiveness in parenting. "What am I TEACHING my children? How can I become a better TEACHER? Am I TEACHING my children to thrive?"

Dr. Christian Conte, a well known mental health specialist and facilitator on parenting, offers The 4 C's of Parenting as a resource toward high leverage parenting. He emphasizes often the importance of TEACHING our children. About what? About the 4 C's below.
  • Choices - Everyone has choices in life. Parents TEACH well when they help children understand the difference between positive and negative choices.
  • Consequences - All choices lead to consequences. Speeding likely leads to tickets; being kind usually leads to being liked.
  • Consistency - When children make poor choices, such as name-calling, the consequences need to be consistently enforced or the TEACHING breaks down.
  • Compassion - The number 1 positive parenting dynamic across all cultures - that sense of being loved regardless of my mistakes.
I love this! Wish we had it when our own children were young. 

There WAS another positive influence that made a difference in our own parenting. It is a timeless poem written by Dorothy Law Nolte (1924-2005), a parent educator, practitioner and family counselor.
Picture
Children Learn What They Live
by Dorothy Law Nolte

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, They learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement, They learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, They learn to be patient.
If children live with praise, They learn to appreciate.
If children live with acceptance, They learn to love.
If children live with approval, They learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, They learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, They learn to have faith in themselves and others.
If children live with friendliness, They learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

(Copyright © 1972/1975 by Dorothy Law Nolte)

A big thank you to the many TEACHERS who have gone before us, specifically those who TAUGHT us how to parent well.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Want to get weekly emails to stay up-to-date with Encompass?
    Subscribe to Our Email List!
    Picture

    Hosts

    Dr. David Marine and Theresa Mabry are Co-Directors of Encompass since June 1, 2024.

    TOPICS

    All
    5 Love Languages
    Abuse
    ACE Score
    Achievement
    Aging
    Amygdala Hijack
    Anger
    Any Relationship
    Apologizing
    Asking Great Questions
    Attention
    Bids
    Busy Calendar
    Change
    Children
    Children And Divorce
    Christmas
    Coaching
    Codependency
    Commitment
    Communication
    Community
    Competition
    Conflict
    Confronting
    Connection
    Consequences
    Counseling
    Couples
    COVID
    Date Night
    Death
    Deposits
    DISC
    Divorce
    Emotions
    Empathy
    Encompass History
    Especially For Couples
    Especially For Families
    Especially For Organizations
    Exercise
    Expectations
    Faith
    Falling
    Family
    Family Business
    Family Trees
    Fatherhood
    Fathers
    Fear
    Finances
    Finishing Well
    Forgiveness
    Fun
    Generational Trends
    Genetics
    Getting Along
    Getting Things Done
    Giving
    Grandchildren
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Grieving
    Growth
    Healing
    Healthy Eating
    Healthy Lifestyle
    Holidays
    Honesty
    Human Trafficking
    Humility
    Humor
    Illness
    Infidelity
    In Laws
    In-Laws
    Insomnia
    Intimacy
    Kindness
    Leadership
    Learning
    Legacy
    Listening
    Live Well
    Long Distance
    Loss
    Love
    Love Defined
    Marriage
    Minimalizing
    Morale
    News Articles
    Nonverbal
    Offenses
    Office Culture
    Our Stories
    Outcome Orientation
    Parenting
    Parenting Adult Kids
    Peace
    Personality
    Planning
    Polarization
    Power Of 2
    Praying Together
    Preparation
    Proactivity
    Problem Orientation
    Productivity
    Reactivity
    Research
    Restoration
    Retirement
    RINGS Chat
    RINGS Experience
    Romance
    Romantic Attraction
    Satisfaction
    Schedule
    Screen Use
    Sex
    Siblings
    Sleeping
    Smartphones
    Smiling
    Stress
    Success
    Suicide
    Surprises
    Survey
    Talking
    Teamwork
    Teens
    Timeouts
    Traits
    Transformation
    Truth
    Understanding
    Valentine's Day
    Virtual Relationships
    Wedding
    Withdrawals
    Working Out
    Work Smart

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018

Picture

FIND IT QUICKLY

Refer A CLIENT
Schedule meeting
SHOP RINGS PROGRAM
bring rings to my area

STAY CONNECTED

OFFICE HOURS

MON 9a-2p
TUE 9a-2p
WED 9a-2p
THU 9a-2p
​Other hours by appointment
call us: ​937-250-1418

VISIT US

616 N. Limestone St. | Springfield, OH
Funding is provided by Clark County Job and Family Services, Charles L. Shor Foundation, Nehemiah Foundation, Springfield Foundation, Turner Foundation,  and private donations and fees.
​Program content is the sole responsibility of Encompass Connection Center and does not necessarily represent the views of the funders.
Encompass Connection Center services are provided to all eligible persons on a non-discriminatory basis. Encompass Connection Center complies with all applicable laws and regulations concerning discrimination does not discriminate on the basis of the potential participant's race, gender, gender orientation, age, disability or religion.

​Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 37-1485217
  • Home
  • About ECC
  • Couples
    • Free Relationship Assessments
    • The RINGS Experience
    • RINGS Chat demo
    • 5 Love Languages Survey
    • RINGS to my community
    • RINGS Pathwright dashboard
  • Families
    • Free Parenting Assessment
    • Parenting for Kid's Sake
    • The REACH Experience
  • Organizations
    • FREE Workplace Teams Assessment
    • Work Smart, Live Well
  • Donate
  • Get in touch
  • BLOG
  • 20th Anniversary Event highlights