P.E.T. article: Is Danny REALLY afraid to go to sleep?

[Rouge]

I haven't done much PET because I already do it. A lot of the examples I've read I already apply. And I am sure you're probably the same paradise lost, in fact I know we are very similar with our kids. But I do think for some people who are told to listen to their kids they might not see the listen part the same way we do. It doesn't mean they are stupid and we aren't. Things that come as second nature to me do so because of my life experiences, and my emotional memories that relate to my childhood and how I felt at different times. A lot of people don't have that, so it's hard for them to use examples for them to listen. I know my DH was like that. And he used to get really frustrated with me because he thought it was unfair that I just got it and for him it was like him trying to find something but not knowing exactly what he was looking for. So we've worked on this together, and now he's very much like me. He wasn't crap as a parent he just didn't see things the way I did, the opportunities or the emotional struggles our children went through and that was because of his childhood and his own experiences.

So whilst it's not something I think I would need, I think PET is something I pretty much already do (not all obviously, as I don't think there is any method that fits a family perfectly) but I think it's a great way to put it people who might not automatically see things this way.

Oh and FYI I am not Miss Perfect Communication Mother of the Year either. Tonight I think I told DS a few times to go to bed in a not very nice tone. Which isn't very consistent or very PET. I don't have much of an excuse either, and I do feel pretty crap about it. But I did apologise when I realised I was tantruming because I was sick and tired (doesn't make it better but I hoped that it would make him feel that this was less about him!)