1 week ago

Mother's Three-Second Pause Shapes Her Approach to Calm Parenting

Mother's Three-Second Pause Shapes Her Approach to Calm Parenting
‘I Pause for 3 Seconds’: How One Morning Changed This Mom’s Approach to Parenting · thebetterindia.com

Gayathri is a mother of three from Chennai.

One day in Bengaluru, her young son was badly bleeding after an accident.

She stayed focused and worked out how to get him medical help.

Her son cried only after he found her because he felt safe with her.

This helped Gayathri understand that children notice how adults react during scary moments.

She says being calm does not mean letting children do anything they want.

Parents can keep rules while speaking without extra anger.

Gayathri now pauses for three seconds before responding when she feels upset.

If she reacts badly, she believes parents should apologise and try again.

Key facts

Parent
Gayathri Prakash, a Chennai-based mother of three
Incident
Her son Yug was found drenched in blood after an accident in Bengaluru
Child's response
Yug held back tears until he found Gayathri and ran into her arms
Hospital journey
Gayathri and her husband traveled with Yug for about 30 minutes to reach a hospital
Parenting principle
Calmness means not adding a parent's emotional chaos to a child's struggle
Discipline
Gayathri says parents can maintain firm boundaries without shouting
Three-second strategy
She pauses for three seconds to recalibrate before reacting
Repairing mistakes
She believes apologising after losing patience models awareness and correction

Quotes

Gayathri Prakash

Chennai-based mother of three discussing her son’s injury.

“An apology does not make us smaller as parents. It shows our children that we are aware of our actions and willing to correct them.”
thebetterindia.com
“When I know I do not like the way things are going, I pause for three seconds to recalibrate before I react.”
thebetterindia.com

Sources

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