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Empowering Ourselves and Our ChildrenNurturing ParentingSection 5.4GOALTo increase parents’ ability to use their personal power to help meet their own needs.

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OBJECTIVES

To define personal powerTo understand the difference between personal power and control.To help parents foster feelings of personal power in their children.To understand the relationship between personal power and self-worth.

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What We Will Focus On

Focus on Developing and Enhancing Personal Power.We call the power we have “Personal Power”Personal Power is not how strong we are, but how capable we are in getting our needs met in a desirable way.Creating an environment where children can use their personal power in a positive way is another way of developing a disciplined environment.

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Concepts of Personal Power

Personal power is the capability we have to influence conditions in our life. Our personal power is influenced by our self-concept (what we think of ourselves) and by our self-esteem (the way we feel about ourselves). Our overall self-worth dictates how we treat ourself and how we treat others.Positive personal power means we do things to meet our needs and the needs of others in ways that build self-concept and self-esteem. Having higher levels of empathy is an important aspect of using our personal power in positive ways. What are some examples?

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Concepts of Personal Power (Cont.)

Negative personal power means we do things to meet our needs and the needs of others in ways that are destructive. Examples?Control is the use of personal power to influence the behavior of others.Positive control means we control the lives of others who are unable to get their own needs met by themselves.Negative control means we control the lives of others who are capable of getting many of their own needs met, but we control them anyway.

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Concepts of Personal Power (Cont.)

Positive control helps people get their basic needs met. Negative control inhibits people in expressing their autonomy and ultimately leads to anger, rebellion, and power struggles. Personal power is not how physically strong we are, but the use of our knowledge and our feelings to act in a positive manner. In this way, self-esteem and self-concept and personal power are all related to each other. We use our personal power based on what we know and how we feel about ourselves.

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a.One area in my life I have personal power is __________.

b.One area in my life I do not have personal power is __________.

c.How do you feel when you have power?

d.How do you feel when you don’t have power?

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Who Has the Power

In what areas do your children have power?In what areas do your children have no power?What power do children have?

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Let’s Watch a Movie

“Personal Power: Empowering Ourselves and Our Children”

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Empowering Children in Critical for many Reasons

To help them be able to withstand peer pressure to do something they really don’t want to do.To say no to alcohol, crack, cocaine, and other drugs.To delay pregnancy for later in life, or to avoid sexually exploitative situations such as date rape, incest, unwanted touch.To help them be responsible to their own needs and the needs of others.

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Power Struggles

When children don’t have power, they fight to get some.Power struggles are when children feel that they have no power in their life.People who have power don’t have to fight to get it.The Goal is to have children keep the power they already have, continue to empower them, and teach then appropriate ways to handle their power.

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Where does the word power struggle come from?

Give specific instances.Why do parents and children get into power struggles?How can you foster a positive attitude in children?.