Emotional Maturity

How many times have you or your child said something to the effect of ‘You did xyz and that made me mad/happy/sad/frustrated/giddy/proud/embarrassed’? This line of thinking gives emotional control to someone else. It’s not a very lovely place for our emotions to hang out because it seeks blame instead of responsibility. It is a victim mentality.
Our emotions are a direct result of our thoughts. And when we learn how powerful our thoughts are we regain control of our emotions so that we parent from a place of genuine love for our children. We become parents who love, teach, correct and inspire our kids in ways that are tailored to their specific needs. But we have to remember that our emotions belong to us, we create our own emotions. And when we model that knowledge we can teach it to our kids as they mature. They will no longer be emotional victims to the choices of others.