What does your parents say?

You can be yourself with them. Spend time doing things you both enjoy. It’s easy to talk to a parent when you make time to do things together. Invite your parent to go for a walk, play a game, play a sport, cook together, or watch a show you both like.

How your upbringing shapes who you are?

It is clear that childhood has an effect on our adulthood, our early experiences shape our belief about ourselves, others and the world. Therefore, we learn rules to protect our self-belief as it may make us vulnerable. In doing this, we form dysfunctional behaviours, which then can lead to mental health problems.

How did your family influenced you?

A study that followed children over a ten year period showed that positive relationships among children and their relatives led to more positive, healthy behaviors in life. Their physical health, taking care of themselves and making healthy choices, was connected with their family experiences as young children.

What can we learn from our parents?

Just as you are your child’s first teacher, your parents were yours. Things they said and did, their way of being and relating to you and others, laid the foundation for many of your beliefs, values, attitudes, and parenting practices. Few parents, if any, had a lesson plan in mind.

What is your child looking for in a story?

As they get older and move towards their teenage years, they will be looking for the stories you tell that make it safe for them to tell you their own. They will be looking for the stories that help to make sense of their own stumbles, confusion, messiness or chaos.

Is the inner child right all along?

When you come to find that the inner child was right all along, when you start to listen to the gentle, playful voice within rather than the criticisms from outside, it’ll all start to make sense.

Do you “go home again” from your childhood?

A mom decides never to insist that her child play a sport because her parents forced her to do so against her will. A dad shows his child a lot of physical affection because his own father rarely did. Most likely, you sometimes “go home again”—act on beliefs, values, and experiences from your childhood—without making a conscious decision to do so.