The ubiquity of the word energy these days is probably a sign of how pervasive pseudoscience and charlatans have become in our culture. We are inundated with energy healers and energy crystals. You can hire consultants to analyze your company’s energy. You can take a sound bath to remove negative energy or have an aura reader interpret the energy you put out into the world. The amount of sage that has been burned in apartments after breakups rivals the amount of sage that has been used in restaurant dishes.
Yet for all that nonsense, energy is a real thing in parenting. Just as Cesar Millan talks about projecting the right energy to your dog, so too can your kids pick up on the energy emanating from you. Bad day at work? They can feel it. Hate where you live? They can feel it. Pissed off at your spouse? They can tell, even if you argue only when they’re asleep.
Why are your kids running around like crazy, acting like monsters today? Well, maybe you ought to check what kind of energy you’re generating. Why is your son hitting his little brother? Maybe because you’re a ball of tension and frustration, and it’s contagious. Why is your daughter being such a terror? Maybe that resentment your wife is holding onto has something to do with it. Maybe your daughter just couldn’t stand how things were at breakfast this morning—how awkward and weird it was.
When you see behavior and attitude problems, adjust your energy. Look in the mirror first. If you want a happy home, a home with kindness and love and peace, then bring that energy with you. Project it consciously and deliberately—show that things are good with you, and they will be better with everyone else.