TPJ 86: Living with Duality

Kids (and adults, if we’re being honest) often have a rigid way of thinking. It’s often black or white, all or nothing. We see our truth, and find it hard to understand that someone else may have a different truth.  But life (and people) are much more complex and nuanced than that, and we often live with a duality that can be hard to cope with. Today we’re going to talk about a hallmark of maturity that can help us (and our kids) deal with this.  [01:14] Join me in my free challenge, Finish Strong!  [02:50] Children often have a rigid way of thinking [04:16] The ability to hold 2 conflicting truths at the same time is a hallmark of maturity. [05:09] Let's replace the word "but" & “or” with "and" [06:44] Sometimes we can feel both a like and dislike for the same thing. What do we do with that?  [08:01] It's immature to reduce things or people down to just one thing, all or nothing.  [08:32] Let's try to coach our kids and introduce them to other perspectives. As we experience challenges and difficult circumstances (and difficult people), Let's try to use "and" more than "or" or "but". Let’s give people space for their complex views and truths and realize that we all live with some duality in our lives.  If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, I’d love to hear about your biggest takeaway. Take a selfie of you listening or a screenshot of the show, post it to instagram stories, and tag me @parentingjunkie or feel free to DM me on instagram, I try to reply to as many as I can!Are you subscribed to my podcast? Subscribe here so that fresh episodes are delivered directly to you. Those shiny 5-star ratings and sweet reviews have me all gushy, thank you. But more importantly, they help other parents discover the Parenting Junkie Show and spread the word about Loving parenting and Parenting from Love. If you have a moment to spare, those reviews mean the world to me, you can leave one here.  Want to connect to like-minded parenting junkies? Join our (free & awesome) FB community Love Parenting with Avital. Resources: Join me in my free challenge, Finish Strong! Full Show Notes: https://www.theparentingjunkie.com/86