Nancy Gilette RDI Consultant

📖 Throw Away the Book of "Shoulds."
One of the first things I encourage parents to do is throw away the Book of Shoulds.
❌ My child should know better.
❌ They should be able to do this by now.
❌ They should act their age.
❌ They shouldn't still be struggling with this.

These "shoulds" are heavy. They create frustration, guilt, and unrealistic expectations—for both you and your child.

Here's what I want you to remember..
🧠 Every brain develops differently.....everyone is different..

A child's body may be 10 years old, but their social, emotional, communication, or executive functioning skills may still be developing at a very different pace. That's not because they're choosing not to learn. It's because development takes time.
Instead of asking,

"Why can't they do this yet?"

Try asking,
"What support do they need to build this skill?"

That one shift changes everything.

When we let go of the shoulds, we stop parenting based on expectations and start parenting based on development

We become guides instead of judges.
We focus on growth instead of compliance.

And we begin to see our children for who they are..not who we think they should be.

It isn't always easy. Letting go of the "shoulds" takes practice.
But when you do...

✨ A whole new world opens up.

This testimonial post means so much🩷🩷🩷🩷
Tania Loland