3. The content of this presentation is sourced from my
book ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: from
Father to Dad’, published in 2006.
Anyone can be a Father, it takes much more to be a
Dad.
4. As a parent or caregiver, it is crucial that
you can recognise your own intimacy
needs, before then recognising the
intimacy needs of your child.
How your intimacy needs were met or
went unmet in your own childhood
Parenting with Intimacy
27. Age 0-8 years
Daughter to Father
Son to Mother
Age 8-16 years
Daughter to Mother
Son to Father
28.
29.
30. Top 10 Signs of a Parent-
Child Power Struggle
1) Your throat is sore at the end of the day from
yelling
2) Your most frequent for of discipline is spanking
3) Attempting to enforce strict rules in virtually all
normal day-to-day routines
4) You tend to be more critical than complimentary
5) You lack humor in your relationship with your
child
31. Top 10 Signs of a Parent-
Child Power Struggle
6) You offer little or no nurture in the way of
physical contact. When you do offer affection
and the child does not respond the way you
expect, you become enraged
7) When you discipline your child for disobedience
you feel that it is “never enough”. You are unable
to clear the slate emotionally.
8) You have great difficulty confessing your own
faults to your child. Letting your child see your
faults may actually bring on a power struggle.
32. Top 10 Signs of a Parent-
Child Power Struggle
9) You feel that your child has the power to inflame
your anger with the slightest of body language
(eyes, shoulder, arm, feet movements, voice
inflections, etc.)
10) You find yourself using shaming words about
your child on a regular basis. (You always… you
never… calling them stupid, idiot, good-for-
nothing, your brother never does that…)
33. 1) Be Decisive
2) Be Positive
3) Explain yourself
4) Make rule
impersonal
5) Be brief and clear
34. 6) Offer a choice whenever possible
7) Reward good behaviour
8) Know when not to get involved
9) Work together
10)Pick your battles
35. A hundred years
from now it won’t
matter what my
bank account was,
the sort of house I
lived in, the kind of
car I drove. But
the world may be
different because I
was important in
the life of a child.
Kathy Davis
Teacher
36. Take a moment to listen today
To what your children are trying to say
Listen today whatever you do
Or they won’t be there to listen to you
Listen to their problems
Listen to their needs
Praise their smallest triumphs
Praise their smallest deeds
37. Tolerate their chatter
Amplify their laughter
Find out what’s the matter
Find out what they’re after
But tell them that you love them every single night
And though you scold them be sure you gold them
Tell them everything is alright
Tomorrow’s looking bright
38. Feels good
Builds self-esteem (wow!
They actually want to hug ME!)
Dispels loneliness
Overcomes fear
Slows down ageing
Huggers stay younger longer
39. Is portable
Affirms physical well-being
Is energy efficient, saves heat
Makes impossible days possible
Makes happier days happier
40. Eases tension
Fights insomnia
Keeps arm and shoulder muscles in
good condition
Is ecologically sound
Does not upset the environment
Is democratic
Anyone is eligible for a hug
41. • Thanks for listening!
• QUESTIONS??
• For further information, see
www.counsellor.ie