2020 has been a tough time for families. With school out and many jobs on furlough, more parents are home with their kids, without the amount of space they are used to. There are clear upsides to this. More time together. A simpler, slower way of life.
But togetherness has its downsides too. This statistic just came out in March:
- 61% of parents have yelled at their kids since social distancing began.
- 1 out of 5 have spanked or hit their child.
I knew as soon as I read this, clearly parents could use some support.
I understand. I do. Kids can be exhausting. Snotty. Push your buttons. Put themselves at risk. You’re stressed out, working long hours in a dangerous world, or staying home and worried about how you’re going to get work done, keep your kids in line, AND take care of your family.
I think the key to this is understanding feelings and motivations behind their actions. A child’s emotional life is just as complex as an adult’s. They miss their friends. They pick up on your stress. They have all this energy to express. But they don’t have the emotional skills to understand and articulate what they are feeling. So they explode, implode, withdraw, act out…. whatever their pattern is.
One of my favorite jobs as an astrologer is to help a parent understand their kid, what motivates them, how to relate to them, and how to support them. I see it as giving the child the gift of a parent who understands them a little better.
This guide to the 12 signs doesn’t go into the complexities of the birth chart. But when you finish, I hope you’ll have at least one “nugget” of insight that will help you ratchet down the stress and align with your child’s unique way of relating, learning, and communicating.
If you work with them in their style, your job gets easier– like you’re working with gravity rather than against it. You’ll better understand their behavior, which might help you relieve some tension and move the relationship into a more peaceful place.
