The Best They Can

“Remember that even when your child is being difficult, they are doing the best they can.  – Sarah Rosensweet

We almost always assume that a child’s natural state is to be uncooperative and difficult and to get away with as much mischief and trouble as possible.

Guess what? They’re doing the best they can.

Children want to be good. We are hard-wired to seek out connection with a caregiver. That is how we kept ourselves safe and not left on a rock somewhere. Harmony and connection with each other is our natural state. If children aren’t being good, it’s because they can’t manage to be good in that moment.

“They’re doing the best they can” makes staying patient easier and helps us find our empathy. We can more easily solve problems because we are on the same team as our child. When our children are behaving badly, we can use their behaviour as a message to get to the root of the problem. Positivity and good-will grow in our families.

And the added bonus? This shift in attitude grows to affect everything in our lives.

I feel better every day when I see those around me as doing the best they can. The positivity is reflected back.