"One Liners" for Those Challenging Parenting Moments That Push Our Buttons

By Janina Nadaner, MFT

"I hate you! You are the worst mother in the world"-screams a 6 year old Jack after you informed him that he may not continue his video game until his one daily household chore is done. 

What do you do? Do you retort, your blood pressure rising, " Do not talk to me this way, young man, or you will be grounded for one week"......or perhaps try one of the more effective one-liners: " Well, you’ll better get used to me, I am the only mother you will ever have" and then calmly and with a smile on your face disconnect or confiscate the device and exit. 

Having a menu of effective one-liners can protect us from losing our cool and giving our child the power to rattle our emotions. And when we are cool and collected, we can turn even the most difficult parenting into truly teachable moments. 

Here are some examples:Your child is arguing with you and won't stop, following you from one room to another. Do you argue back, plead, try winning the argument, scream with exasperation?

Why not pull out a more effective one liner: "I love you too much to argue with you" and then promptly exit (to a safe time out place somewhere in the house). 

Other effective one liners you may want to try:

1.    When your child is screaming at you" It's not fair", try saying " Who's ever told you that things in life are fair" 

2.    When your child announces that she is packing her suitcase and leaving, try saying" That would be a mistake. I know you can make good decisions. Let me know how I can help."

3.    When your child has done something that needs a consequence but you are yet no sure what that consequence should be, try saying" Bummer. How sad for you. I am going to think about what consequence is appropriate and get back to you. And you do some thinking, too"

4.    When your child is trying to disrupt a family event by running around wildly and screaming on top of his lungs, try saying: " It looks like you have something to say. Let me know when you are ready to talk in a regular voice so I can listen". 

When we meet our child's anger with anger, we are feeding them a diet of negative attention and emotion, which is exhausting for both children and adults and greatly ineffective. So, have your one liners ready and pull them out at the right times. And enjoy increased cooperation and respectful behavior in your family. 

Thank You for attending KFS Open House

Thank you for coming to the KFS Open House! 

    From our whole team at KFS we THANK YOU all for attending our KFS School Open House on February 28th, we enjoyed every minute of it! It was amazing to have the whole community and families come together and meeting all our parents, family members and children having the opportunity to share the learning that goes on in the classroom and get a glance of what we do everyday. We hope that it was informative, as well as fun for you as all learning should always be! We are looking forward to a productive partnership with our community to ensure our children can achieve their highest potential.

A huge thanks goes out to those who spoke at the Open house!

Tejal Desai (Parent)

Susan McCormick (Learning Specialist)

Lindy Joffeot (OT Professional)

Karla Cianci (JCC Assistant Director) 

KFS School Program revolves around 4 essential pillars for a child's well-being:

1.MIND

2.BODY

3.SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL

4.TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

"Only children believe they are capable of everything". Our educational inspiration stems from believing in the potential and strength of each child.  We actively guide every aspect of each child's individuality, character and well-being on a personal level and in a group setting. We provide each child with a comprehensive environment to nurture his/her learning style through their own curiosity, passion for learning, and social interaction. We strive to create opportunities for learning, exploration, creativity and self-expression. Our approach is to provide a smaller classroom setting, with one-on-one attention, allowing our environment to be warm and welcoming. We encourage children's ability to make choices, problem solve, master skills and develop relationships.

"The night before Open House, I was thinking of what I want to say, and my son told me, "Mommy it's very easy, you can say, 'I love my School and My School loves me.'" I told him myself that really says it all. As a parent and for my child as a student that goes to KFS School that's what he needs from a school" - Tejal, parent of a KFS Student