Positive Education
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Theresa Miles
Center Director
Create and Enhance Comprehensive Early Childhood Systems
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Positive Leadership for Parents
This space was created to share reflections and evidence-informed insights on child development, behaviour and positive leadership in parenting.
Drawing from my experience in early childhood education and motherhood, I share perspectives that support families in building more conscious, respectful and connected relationships with their children.
It’s a very natural instinct. We see our child getting upset, frustrated, or on the verge of tears, and something inside us immediately wants to fix it. We distract, we offer alternatives, we rush to make things better. We soften the moment before it fully arrives.
Not because we don’t value emotions, but because it’s genuinely hard to watch our children struggle.
For a long time, many of us believed that disciplining children meant punishing them. If a child misbehaved, something would be taken away, a privilege would disappear, or a threat would be made: “If you don’t behave, there will be no dessert,” or “If you keep doing that, we’re leaving.” This approach is so common that many parents repeat it without ever stopping to question it.
Here in Australia, the phrase “sharing is caring” is almost automatically repeated when we talk about children. The intention is usually positive: to teach empathy, kindness, and consideration for others. But in light of RIE principles, it is worth pausing to reflect… Does forcing a child to share truly teach these values?