Parenting
Commitment Quiz
How
Committed Are You to Raising Caring, Confident Responsible Children?
By Thomas Haller and Chick
Moorman
Are
you a committed parent? Do you place family first? Is your success at home
as important as the success you achieve in other areas of your life?
Most
parents would answer “yes” to these questions. Probably you would too. But
are you really committed? Do your actions match your beliefs about your
level of commitment? Would you like to find out just how committed you
really are to your children and the role of parenting? If so, take the quiz
below.
Read each
item and answer yes or no. Use the scale at the end to determine your
commitment quotient.
-
_______I am willing
to get dirty along with my children. I have made mud pies, jumped in a
puddle, rolled down a hill, engaged in a water balloon fight, let my
daughter grease her own bike, allowed my young son put mustard on his
own hot dog or created chalk sidewalk art with my children recently.
-
_______I regularly create a culture of accountability in my family by
creating reasonable, related consequences and implement them with love
and gentleness.
-
_______I believe that holding my children accountable for their actions
and choices is one of the most loving things I can do as a parent. I
follow through on the consequences I set, consistently. I do not rescue,
give them one more chance, or let it slide “this time”.
-
_______I see “mistakes” my children make as opportunities for growth and
learning. I do not judge their mistakes as good or bad until I see how
they choose to use the mistake.
-
_______I have played a board game, shot baskets, played catch, or read a
story other than at bed time with my children in the past week.
-
_______I have attended a game of soccer, hockey, baseball, volleyball,
basketball or a dance or music lesson in the past two weeks.
-
_______I attended the most recent parent/teacher conferences at my
child’s school and/or I talked with the caregiver at child care for 30
minutes or more in the past month.
-
_______I have attended a parenting class or read a parenting book in the
last month.
-
_______I believe that fixing problems is more important than fixing
blame. To that end, I invest my time in searching for solutions to
problems rather than handing out punishments and determining fault.
-
_______I regularly invite my children to help search for solutions. I
help them discover solutions by guiding, directing and exploring
possibilities with them. I allow them to test some of their own
solutions to see if they work.
-
_______I know that March 20th is International Parenting
Commitment Day and I have already created and planned a ritual to help
celebrate that occasion.
-
_______ I attempt to create a shared control style of family management
by regularly accepting input from all family members. I spend as much
time listening as I do talking.
-
_______My spiritual
faith is visible and I regularly engage in it in front of my children.
We have frequent family discussions about our beliefs and values.
-
_______I have firm
and reasonable limits for my children in terms of television, food,
video games, bed times, and extra-curricular activities. I enforce these
limits consistently with gentleness and love.
-
_______I strive to
make myself dispensable. I allow my children to assume increasing
amounts of control over their own lives.
-
_______ When I am
feeling hurt or angry, I communicate with words and refrain from
sulking, pouting, and yelling. I tell my children what I am feeling and
own responsibility for those feelings without telling them they made me
feel that way. I communicate directly, honestly, and openly.
-
_______I have
invested time in helping my children understand a choice or decision
they made in the past two weeks. I debriefed it with them, allowing them
to come to their own conclusion as to how well they were doing. I
regularly help them self-assess so they could develop their inner
authority.
-
_______In the past
week I have helped my child understand a feeling he was having. I give
the feeling a name so my child could identify that feeling in the
future.
-
_______ I model
closeness and affection by giving my child regular hugs, smiles, and eye
contact. I schedule alone time with each child each week.
-
_______My children
hear me say what I am going go to do and see me do what I say. My
children know what I value and believe and consistently see me living
according to those beliefs and values. My actions are congruent with my
words.
-
_______ I am
comfortable in assuming the role of learner on occasion and allowing my
child to take the lead. I learned an important lesson from my child this
past week.
22.
_______I preserve the traditions of our family. I created and maintain
a nostalgia corner in our home where we keep the photos, scrapbooks, school
work, family stories, and folklore of our family.
23.
_______When I’m stuck and not sure what to do next, my children hear me ask
for help. I model help-seeking strategies for them. I have asked one of my
children for help in the past week.
24.
______I demonstrate my caring by regularly engaging in activities with my
children that they enjoy. I play games with them using their rules in their
way, on their time schedule.
25.______I
admit to mistakes and my children see me make amends quickly.
EXTRA
CREDIT:
If you approached each item seriously and answered them honestly, give
yourself 2 bonus points.
Scoring
Key:
Count the number of times you answered “yes” and compare it to the scale
below.
20-18 yes
- SUPER COMMITTED - You are regularly demonstrating and modeling what your
children need to see from you as a parent committed to raising responsible,
caring, confident children. Give yourself a big pat on the back.
17-14 yes
- COMMITTED - Your children will benefit from your level of commitment while
you commit to raising it in the future. Congratulations.
13-10 yes
- SOMETIMES COMMITTED - You have many worthwhile commitments to your
children and still have commitments holes in your parenting style. You have
work to do to move up on the commitment index.
9 and
below - WISHY WASHY COMMITMENT - Although you demonstrate some admirable
commitments, you have a lot of work to do. Begin today by adding to your
repertoire of healthy commitments. Your children are worth it.
Visit
www.10commtiments.net for more information on making a commitment
to your children and celebrating International Parenting Commitment Day.
Thomas Haller and Chick Moorman are the authors of "The 10
Commitments: Parenting with Purpose, available from Personal
Power Press at (toll-free) 877-360-1477, Amazon.com, and
bookstores everywhere). They also publish a FREE email
newsletter for parents and another for teachers. Subscribe to
them at ipp57@aol.com. Visit
www.chickmoorman.com and
www.thomashaller.com. |
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