Criticism from Others: How can you Protect Yourself?
When there’s criticism from others, parents can quickly feel helpless, sad, guilty, or even have major doubts about their own role or abilities; so, what can you do to deal with this external criticism?
Be Assertive
We can have assertive responses that allow us to position ourselves more firmly in our role, assert our values, and be steadfast in our relationship with our children. For example, if our sister says, "you let him do that?", we can respond with "based on my values as a parent, I feel it's important to let him try certain things". Or, if our brother-in-law says, "he's a real pigheaded person, I don't know how you do it!", we can reply "well, I think he has a great ability to assert himself!"
Distancing Ourselves from External Pressures
We don’t have the power to change the people around us. We do, however, have the option to focus on the people and the messages that are positive and encouraging for us. For example, by weighing the importance of the messages we receive, by remaining critical of what is communicated in books or in the media, and by keeping in mind that each parent is unique and has his or her own strengths and weaknesses.
