62 November 2013 www.womanthismonth.com LIFESTYLE | parenting My conclusion For me, the course has had an impact. It re-confirmed that it’s ok for children to be bored (and just be), to fail, refuse conformity, to question and to ask for what they want and need. Our children are not our clones, who we live our life through. They are powerful, albeit ‘little’ people in their own right. They deserve respect and can teach us so much as well. Listen so you can understand your children. Share and encourage them to share their thoughts with you. Let them make decisions knowing the consequences. Design family rules that are co-created. There’s so much more that can be learnt and explored regarding strengthening relationships. In doing this you are modelling bravery and, of course, your children will model it too. Give it a go and share your learning. It’s worked for me. The school run is calmer, the children are working on managing ‘their’ time and they have stepped up to the responsibility! Gonan Premfors is the co-founder of Gozamm, the California-based company and movement behind the Parentology and Trust philosophies. The former financial advisor turned her back on the financial world in 2004 in order to build her relationship with her daughter. That journey saw her become the Middle East’s first professionally certified coach, she established the world-renowned Coaches Training Institute in Dubai and she created her own coach-based relationship philosophies. Today, Gozamm offers cutting-edge transformative workshops in five continents. The next Middle East workshop is Parentology from November 4 to 6, and Trust from November 18 to 20, both in Dubai. Visit www.gozamm.com.
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