Do you know any “sprinter parents”? Like a competitive athlete, they put every ounce of their energy into every child misbehavior. This approach leaves parents spending most of their time correcting their kids - all of the time.

"Marathon parents" know how to pick their battles. Because they know that parenting is a life-long task, they ask the following questions when they deal with misbehavior:

•   Is this behavior dangerous in any way?

•   If my child continued to do this for his entire life, would it really be a problem?

•   Is this behavior a chronic problem?

•   Is this a battle I can win right now without first getting support or ideas from others?

If the answer to these questions is "No," wise parents give themselves permission to rest, relax and reflect. By doing so, they preserve the energy needed to address problems with definite "Yes" answers.

This Blog post is adapted from: