Calamity {or} Opportunity

I was reminded this week that our thoughts and feelings are affected in large part by our perspective. This cartoon caption says it perfectly, “Calamity for some is opportunity for others.”

How do you see your kids?

We choose the lenses that we use to view people and situations, either positive or negative. Our thought process can trigger emotions that often influence our actions. I think this applies to how we parent and how we view our kids as well. Whenever something unexpected or inconvenient happens we can view it as a tragedy or as a chance to teach our kids and learn with them.

We can model optimism and the ability to discern multiple possibilities for a given situation. This can also teach our kids the quality of flexibility in handling difficult situations and also in understanding people.

A specific example would be the ways in which a parent can choose to view their adolescents’ behavior, say a refusal to take the parent’s advice. The parent could see the behavior as defiant, disrespectful and stubborn. They could also view it as their teen’s attempt to assert themselves, gain independence and learn on their own.

Calamity or opportunity. You decide.

Photo credit: David Horsey