08/05/2025
I want to share one of my favorite frameworks for parenting, and one I come back to again and again: Most Generous Interpretation, or as I call it, MGI.
It’s human to jump to conclusions when a child acts out, like hitting a sibling or snapping at us after coming home from school. Our first thought is often our LGI - Least Generous Interpretation - thinking something like, “Hmm, my kid’s just a sociopath, they don’t care about anyone,” or “They’re bad.”
But what if we paused... and made space for a different story by using our MGI? By thinking of the most generous interpretation, you can separate a child from their behavior.
With the MGI framework, we remember that our child is still figuring out how to manage frustration and sometimes struggles to express their feelings. Now we know that we need to work on this skill with them and we build a stronger and more stable connection with our child in the process.
The MGI framework is 100% applicable in adult relationships too - with a coworker, friend, or partner! Truly a game changer in conflict resolution. What is a behavior that you can reframe and give your most generous interpretation of? Let me know in the comments below.