Mastery of Health and Happiness
  • Home
  • Who am I
  • What is Mastery?
  • Pearls of Wisdom
  • Media
  • Store
  • Newsletter
  • Contact

Reminiscing On Bringing Up Our Kids

July 6th, 2015

ChildSilverSpoon“False entitlement means:  I don’t have to earn anything…I am owed.

This can cripple our children who then go out into the real world thinking they don’t have to work for what they want.”

~ Beverley Pugh

Over the years many parents have referred themselves to me for ideas and strategies around avoiding the trap of unintentionally encouraging entitlement issues with their kids. Today I would like to share two practical strategies that I have used as a parent which I often share in my practice. My kids will be reading this so I am sure I will get comments!

First, some words on entitlement. Entitlement thinking is a style of focus and thought where an individual feels they are more important than the next person, and they are “owed” a certain lifestyle .There is an arrogance, self-absorption and criticalness to the individual’s approach to life. There is an omnipotence in their thinking. Parents can be so well meaning, yet if not careful they feed into the arrogant expectations of their children.

Canada is a very affluent part of the world. We have lots of “toys”, and they can be expensive. Children can be “spoiled” with affluence.

Here are the two practical strategies that were used in our household during the summer, and when traveling. Many of you may be into your holiday planning or adventures now.

First, I am a big fan of camping – going into nature and having our kids experience simplicity and living close to the land with minimum toys is wonderful. No technology allowed. Guess who puts up the tents and makes the fires? Everyone. No one gets to play on their cell phone or read a book while the others are putting the campsite together.

It can be so much fun cooking over a fire, and the kids start to get really creative. I know mine did. Hiking, fishing, campfire songs and helping each other out really builds the muscles of family and community. Helping out other people who are having difficulty with their campsite also helps build a sense of all being here to support one another.

You may not like camping, and this is all too much to ask. Our contributor this month has an interesting story around that. The spirit of the idea was fostered in that family.

A second strategy involves travelling. When we traveled, we went budget. We stayed in local hotels with no air conditioning, rode local buses, and ate simply. No 5 star hotels for us. They did what I did when I was a student with very little money. This helped give our children a wide variety of coping skills, and a huge toolkit for any time in their life. It also taught them gratitude. I am so glad we did it.

Have fun playing with these ideas and finding ways they can be helpful in your family. You can develop your own way of teaching these lessons.

It is wonderful to give thought to what we are doing, and why we are doing it. Keep that wide angle lens on your camera of decision making.

Enjoy and happy July!

Bev

 

Tags: attention, Bev Pugh, change, choice, family, gratitude, happiness, inspiration, intention, life, Mastery of Health and Happiness
Posted in awareness, Balance, change, Creating What You Want, Feeling Gratitude, Gratitude, Inspirational, Parenting

 

One Response

  1. Anita says:
    July 7, 2015 at 10:12 pm

    One of my favourites times with my son was last summer. We decided on a whim to go camping. Just the two of us. Off we went to the provincial campground. We set up our tent as the rain started to pour. We worked quickly as it really poured. We scrambled inside our tent and it poured all night long!!! We laughed and used flashlights and ate goodies and told stories and the rain never let up.
    We will never forget it. Now that’s memories!
    And the sun shone the next morning!

    Reply
 

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Beverley Pugh

Beverley Pugh

Beverley Pugh has international experience in Individual, Marital and Family Therapist services. Areas of practice include counselling in: individual, couples, family, anxiety, addictions, grief, depression, pain management, multicultural, workplace and others.

Join Our Mailing List

Mastery Practice Tool

Gratitude...No Matter What

Ask yourself if you are "routining" gratitude or whether it is part of your moment to moment way of being. Invite yourself to become curious about what it would feel like to LIVE gratitude. Notice what happens when your heart is open to feeling gratitude. Notice if your energy goes up, your mood improves, your parenting is different, or your decision-making is stronger. Even when you’re angry and cheesed off, can you hold a perspective of the bigger picture and gratitude? Having gratitude, no matter what, means that you still feel all your emotions, but always hold gratitude in in a corner of your awareness. You may find that all your coping skills and capacity for wisdom increase dramatically. You are increasing your personal power. Keep practicing holding gratitude in all moments, and notice how you experience life differently and with less stress.

Testimonial

Bev's Laughing and Breathing Belly Workshop for Children was one of the best I have attended. She has a gifted ability to gently connect with children and teach and share with them her techniques of belly breathing, rooting, mind vacations and laughter. These techniques soothe and calm them whenever they feel overwhelmed or anxious - be at school, home or before bed time. Whether you have an overwhelmed pre-schooler or a test-anxious pre-teen, Bev's approach works! I love that she gave parents the tools to model and share these fundamentals of meditation with their children. I would encourage families to take her course...your children will thank you and you will benefit from ways to keep yourself calm and allow wisdom in.

Farrah J. - Mother of 3, West Vancouver

Archives

  • May 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • September 2017 (1)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (1)
  • April 2017 (1)
  • March 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (1)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (2)
  • May 2016 (2)
  • April 2016 (2)
  • March 2016 (2)
  • February 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (2)
  • October 2015 (2)
  • September 2015 (2)
  • August 2015 (2)
  • July 2015 (2)
  • June 2015 (2)
  • May 2015 (2)
  • April 2015 (2)
  • March 2015 (2)
  • January 2015 (4)
  • December 2014 (2)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (2)
  • September 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (2)
  • July 2014 (2)
  • June 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (2)
  • April 2014 (2)
  • March 2014 (2)
  • February 2014 (2)
  • January 2014 (2)
  • December 2013 (2)
  • November 2013 (2)
  • October 2013 (2)
  • September 2013 (3)
  • August 2013 (1)
  • July 2013 (2)
  • June 2013 (2)
  • May 2013 (1)
  • April 2013 (2)
  • March 2013 (2)
  • February 2013 (2)
  • January 2013 (2)
  • December 2012 (2)
  • November 2012 (2)
  • October 2012 (2)
  • September 2012 (4)
  • August 2012 (3)
  • July 2012 (3)
  • June 2012 (3)
  • May 2012 (3)
  • April 2012 (4)
  • March 2012 (3)
  • February 2012 (3)
  • January 2012 (2)

Categories

  • awareness (30)
  • Balance (8)
  • change (16)
  • Choice (28)
  • Feeling Gratitude (14)
  • forgiveness (8)
  • Gentleness (10)
  • healing (17)
  • Health and Happiness (35)
  • Health and Wellness (18)
  • holding power (9)
  • Inspirational (32)
  • Learning to Adapt (18)
  • Love (30)
  • managing emotions (20)
  • Meditation and Relaxation (15)
  • Parenting (6)
  • Pearls of Wisdom (21)
    • Breathing (3)
    • Creating What You Want (4)
    • Gratitude (6)
    • Happiness (7)
    • Heart Space (2)
    • Meditation (2)
  • Relationships (4)
  • Self Growth (57)
  • Stress (3)
  • transitions (6)
  • Uncategorized (3)

About Beverley

Beverley Pugh has international experience in Individual, Marital and Family Therapist services. Areas of practice include counselling in: individual, couples, family, anxiety, addictions, grief, depression, pain management, multicultural, workplace and others.

Contact

Telephone:
604-925-1513
Email:
bev@beverleypugh.com
Location:
120-1451 Marine Drive
West Vancouver, BC
V7T 1B8
Canada

Disclaimer: The information presented on this site about various psychological conditions, is of a general nature and is not a substitute for an assessment by a competent therapist and/or medical professional. If you believe that you or an important person in your life is in need of an intervention please seek qualified help as soon as possible.

(c) 2023. Beverley Pugh Counselling Services. All Rights Reserved. Site Designed by Pureze Web Media.