Hi I have a 9yr old daughter, she’s the only child and as of recently we’ve been experience some emotional battles. Naturally she’s very sweet, very kind and caring, but more recently she’s been defensive, disobedient, and even rude to others. After that seemingly calms down she has an incident where another young lady was nitpicking and being mean to her and she broke down. She says that those encounters make her feel embarrassed and jumbled up inside. Any tips for navigating This space, this is very new for me.

Kingdom parents, today we talked about being tired and still needing to follow through. Now let’s talk about the part that makes a lot of parents uncomfortable… The pushback A lot of us can set the boundary.The hard part is keeping the boundary when the child starts crying, arguing, begging, getting an attitude, slamming doors, saying “you’re mean,” or making us feel guilty. That’s where consistency is tested. Not when everything is calm. Consistency is tested when your child does not like your answer. Your child being upset does not automatically mean you are doing something wrong. Sometimes they are upset because they are learning that your word actually means something.Sometimes they are upset because the old pattern is being interrupted.Sometimes they are upset because they were used to wearing you down, and now you are standing firm. That does not mean we become harsh. It means we become steady. This week, practice saying “I hear you, but the answer is still no.” “I understand you’re upset, but the consequence still stands.” “You can be mad, but you cannot be disrespectful.” “I love you too much to argue with you about a boundary I already explained.” “I’m not changing my answer because you’re upset.” We’re inconsistent because we don’t want to sit with our child’s disappointment. But disappointment is not damage.Correction is not rejection.Boundaries are not cruelty.Your child can feel upset and still be safe.Your child can be disappointed and still be loved.Your child can cry and still learn. Tonight’s question: What usually makes you fold after setting a boundary? A. Crying B. Attitude C. Begging D. Feeling guilty E. Being too tired to argue F. Your child saying hurtful things G. You just want peace in the house Drop your letter below.