You know your child better than anyone else.
You know yourself better than anyone else.
You know when your child needs your attention for repair or reconnection after a rupture.

But how do we know if our parenting, overall, is working? Which means: the relationship has a solid baseline of safety, trust and connection.

You know your parenting is working when (depending of the age of the child):

• your child melts down mostly with you; in contrast, she/he is very composed at school, with the babysitter, or sometimes, even with the other parent;
• your child shows you his/her anger through different behaviors;
• your child is not afraid to tell you they got “a warning” in school for breaking a rule;
• your child jokes about you with you/uses some level of sarcasm – all in the limits of common sense and respect;
• your child tells you upfront how they feel, or what they think about an issue without feeling responsible, guilty or ashamed for having a different point of view;
• your child feels safe to ask for personal time and space when they feel the need to decompress;
• your child is not afraid to make mistakes;
• your child is not afraid to ask for help when something painful or scary happens to them or around them;
• your child shares with you about their daily activities, events, friendships enough that you have a strong sense that you are “a part of their life”.

What would you add to this list? How do you know your parenting is going well? Tell me on Instagram @parenting.made.conscious, or on Facebook.