“Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.” -Confucius
I work heavily in a customer service relations environment. And a, as you all know already, I am a mommy. I work from home for a company where our main focus is researching and responding to complaints. I live by Confucius’ quote and it pays off.
As parents we have to lead by example. If not, then we get rebellious misunderstanding children. “Well you say this but do that… so why can’t I?” I know this is the outcome because it was the exact way I was as a child. (Many regrets now due to my rebellious days, but that is neither here nor there.)
Almost everyone I come into contact with on the phone compliments me on how patient I am and how well I listen. I had one lady tell me today that she wished everyone she had to interact with had my attitude and patience. In a job where all you hear are complaints, its super nice to get a compliment in the midst of their anger. I try to relay these instances to my children as best I can. In every situation I am in, I think to myself, “If I were on the other end of this, how would I want to be treated and talked to?” That’s all I want my kids to remember in their day to day lives. Before you react, think it through. Many adults need to learn this as well. (It took me a while, but I finally trained my brain to immediately go to that thought whenever I feel myself getting frustrated in the slightest.) It is also a good way to deescalate almost all situations which, in the long run, benefits you because you are less stressed and spent even less time getting to the solution of the problem by skipping all the arguing and drama.
So the next time you feel yourself getting heated or agitated, take a step back and breathe. Ask yourself, if I were them (kids, boss, customers, mom, dad, wife, etc.) and that had happened to me how would I feel and how would I want my feelings to be handled? When you arrive at an answer, start back in on the conversation and get to a solution. Remind your kids to try this as well. It’s a good way to remind ourselves that others feelings matter just as much as our own.
Anonymommy 