Bottom Line

I’ve failed at them, overstepped them, learned from them, and now strive to model them.

As an individual, unless you have been taught what boundaries are, you usually find out what they are the hard way. I have faced many hills and valleys on my journey that have taught me what I will and won’t allow in my life. As an adult, it becomes easy to navigate and understand what is healthy and what isn’t. But what about when you become a parent?

Sometimes our love for our children can blur the lines. Not following through with consequences, looking the other way, or simply allowing them to be disrespectful are all behaviors that will make boundaries unclear for our children

Children need boundaries to learn and grow, and they truly help children feel loved. If our fear as parents is that our children won’t like us or love us if we set boundaries, the only person it is hurting is, in fact, our children. If you are striving to be your child’s friend…guess what? They have enough friends…. they need a parent!

I am not saying that as I parent I have it all together, and if anyone says they do, that is way out of bounds. I’ve been a parent for over 21 years and I am still learning. This thing called parenting looks different for everyone, and what might work for one child won’t work for the other. We have to be comfortable and creative in how we approach what comes our way with them. The bottom line with setting boundaries is, you have to set the line, model it, and follow through with it.

Kimberly Cabral

CEO/ Founder MASK

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