So I wanted to share this little bit about myself.

Mum has since I was young worked with kids and families and taught others how to raise their children without raising a hand, and is currently doing a diploma in child protection which I have helped with one assignment (she keeps using DD as her observation) and it is very hard topics covered. I pretty much raise my daughter in the same style that mum has, maybe a little bit harder because I have less patience then her :) we often talk about things like how my older brother who she used to sit up at night with because of his croup and stroke his hair to go to sleep has trouble sleeping, while the other three of us find it a bit easier (don't think when four kids came along all two years apart she had quite the patience and time to stroke all our heads to sleep :))

But mum and I were at the shops with DD one night and we were talking about her boundaries, mum can't believe how far DD goes, she literally runs away in seconds. We were talking about attachment and how children with bad attachment to parents often walk away from their parents where as children with good attachment often stick close to, my daughter well, she has such good attachment that she runs away and is miles away, mum who has raised four kids and had a lot of contact with countless others couldn't believe it. DD knows that we will be right there trying to find her, but my gosh is it tiring, even mum says she is just full on.

I find it funny as I have started vocalising how the things DD does affect me. How do you deal with a 2.5yr old who is so full of energy, and secure in themself, well I've taken a leaf out of mums book and am getting down to her and talking about what is happening with her, why I don't like her running, and how it will affect me, how it would make mummy and daddy sad and upset if she got hurt or lost, and she kind of listens. When my brothers and I used to fight as kids mum always used to say use your 'I' statements, let them know how 'I' am feeling don't say you did this. I ever thought it would have worked with a 2yr old.

In mums diploma she had to do a course for a week about child development, where they talked about praising children, the woman that mum is doing the course alongside leant over to mum and said, but we learnt to tell them what they did right not just you did a good job didn't we? That's what my aim is to build my daughter up where she knows she has done a good job in herself, feeling a sense of pride and being self confident not needing external praise to 'do a good job', what's a good girl? She knows shes a good girl, she knows she has behaviour I may not like but thats it its behaviour its not her, she also knows that I love her regardless and will always do my best for her.

So now I parent like my mum, and what as a teen I always thought was goofy or dumb it actually works.