If you really want to get to know yourself, become a parent. As I started to fall asleep recently this pearl of wisdom came crashing in! As a parent I have experienced every human emotion possible and have expressed each and every one in ways that I am not always so proud of. As any parent can attest, kids really do bring out the best and the worst in you.
The Gremlin Taming Method™, created by Rick Carson, gives me a road map for being the kind of parent I want to be. It is a way that I check in with myself.

There are three steps to the method which I have outlined here to get you started. Be sure to read Taming Your Gremlin® for a complete explanation. It’s full of lots of exercises to help you get to know your own personal bully.

Step 1: Simply Notice
By simply noticing, I observe how I am showing up as a parent and if it reflects who I am naturally or if I have taken on the beliefs and behaviors of others simply out of habit or unconscious loyalty.

Step 2: Play with Options
Once I have noticed something I’m perhaps not crazy about, such as how often I yell at our kids when I would rather be playing with them, I play with my options, with the range of possibilities for what I want to do with what I just noticed. That might be experimenting with how I express my anger or putting aside a load of laundry to jump on the trampoline. Bottom line: I get to choose, not my gremlin.
No gremlin, no guilt! Playing with options creates an inner experience that goes beyond words when it comes to knowing that I am responsible for what I create with the circumstances that life brings me. This is a tremendous gift to pass onto our children.

Step 3: Being in Process
Simply put, practice Step 1 and Step 2 every day and you’ll be more content than you’ve ever been. Gremlin-taming is a verb, an action. It’s not simply another concept or a good self-help tool. It’s a kin to meditating, running or playing the piano. You get better the more you work at it.

The Gremlin Taming Institute offers many ways to guide you in your process. Check out our workshops, sign up for a teleclass for parents, let us design a presentation for your child’s school or PTA, wear a Gremlin Tamer bracelet. We are available to work with you on difficult family situations or transitions into different phases of child (and parent!) development through our private lessons.

Here are some other tools to help you with Gremlin Taming for Kids:

Gremlin Taming™ Tips for Parents

Belly Breathing

Activities for Kids