Nobody ever said raising kids was easy.
Our parents are in charge of our entire lives as we’re growing up. They are the ones who have to keep us safe, to feed us and to teach us everything we need to know about life. Still, parents aren’t perfect—nobody is. We all have to learn how to process emotions on our own and how to communicate our needs to one another in a healthy way. Most of the pain we experience in life is a result of not being able to communicate our needs clearly.
Fortunately, one video sweeping the web has provided a glowing example of how to communicate with kids.
The clip begins in the middle of the action with a caring father talking to his daughter, who is a little upset.
The dad in the video is Randy Gaines and, in the clip, his daughter is a little angry at him (which becomes clear later). So how does Gaines react? Instead of getting angry in return, he carefully and gently explains to his daughter that she’s allowed to feel however she wants to feel:
“You can be mad at me, you can be mad at mommy, you can be mad at yourself. Just don’t hang onto it for too long because that’s when it gets to be a problem.”
As it turns out, Gaines’ daughter was upset that he called her a name in jest.
For his part, Gaines accepts his daughter’s feelings and explains why the exchange is actually a good thing:
“It’s important to talk about it so I know that that’s your boundary, and I respect it, and I won’t push past it.”
The video of Gaines has been viewed going on two million times on Facebook—and came complete with glowing comments from his wife, Deceena.
In her post, she explains what the exchange meant to her:
I fell in love with him before we had our girls, but moments like this make me fall even more in love with him . . .
No yelling. No screaming.
Talking. Discussing emotions and why we have such feelings. HEALTHY outlets (walking, running, punching a pillow, etc) . . .
I am so blessed, and so thankful to have this man as my other half. Our girls are blessed to have him as their father. Thank you Randy Gaines for being you ❤️😘😍💍💑👨👩👧👧🌟
Although we can’t all be perfect all the time, Gaines’ example is a beautiful one to follow in hard situations.
Children look up to adults as examples of how to process their feelings and how to relate to the world around them. How can they learn if we act like children ourselves? For all those parents out there, the next time your kids are getting emotional and lashing out at you, consider this video. And feel free to share!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
