Are you a parent? Well, if you are, congratulations!
As a parent, your ultimate desire is to make decisions and do things that will be in the best interest of your children.
In whatever you do, you need to do it with the knowledge that your kids are watching, and they will certainly copy your behavior through social learning.
But then, you don’t need to be super-perfect as a parent. Besides, no one is perfect!
You also need to know that no child is perfect. Therefore, when sharpening your parenting skills and developing expectations, this is one thing that you should never forget.
Nonetheless, you need to set high standards for yourself so that you can become the parent you have always wanted to be, and then do the same for your children so that you can help raise a generation which is built on a solid foundation of good morals.
How do you do this?
Below are some parenting ideas that will help you carter for your children’s well-being.
Be a role model
“Don’t engage in drugs!”
“Bad company will ruin your life!”
“Respect others, so they respect you.”
These are some of the things you probably tell your child every day. But you take drugs, you have nasty friends, and you don’t respect your parents and siblings, leave alone your neighbors.
How then do you expect the child to heed your advice?
As a good parent, don’t preach water and take wine. Children are naturally programmed to copy other people’s behavior and actions. Therefore, if you want your kids to become who you want them to be, show them the right attitude and behavior, and they will doubtlessly follow suit.
Be a loving parent
There is no harm in loving your child. There is a myth out there that loving children too much has the potential to spoil them. This is one of the lies that can act as a stumbling block to good parenting.
However, you need to proceed with moderation as far as loving your children is concerned. Don’t be over-protective or lenient just because you love them. Instead, always punish bad behavior, but with love.
Loving your child is as simple as spending time with them, being close to them, and most importantly, listening to them keenly and solving issues between them, their pettiness notwithstanding.
According to research, the act of love towards a child helps in releasing a number of ‘feel-good’ hormones such as prolactin, oxytocin, and opioids. These help the child get contentment, keep calm, and attain maximum emotional health.
Showing love to your kids can be as simple as working with the best kids party entertainment company to organize their birthday parties, or taking them for a vacation once in a while. That’s how you become and amazing parents!
Be a haven
Let your child know from the outset that regardless of what they go through in life, they can always count on you.
Support your child whenever you can, and accept him/her as an individual. Give sound advice when you can, and never hesitate to give emotional and material help whenever you can.
Research indicates that kids who have been raised by warm and supportive parents tend to have better social development, mental health, and emotional well-being.
Avoid verbal/physical aggression
Sometimes, spanking your child could be the best solution to bring short-term compliance and give you a certain degree of relief as a parent.
However, when you get used to physical/verbal aggression, you will not eliminate bad behavior from the child. You will only teach him/her to fear the external consequences of the said behavior; thus children tend to avoid getting caught.
Also, spanking your children all the time will teach them one lousy lesson in life – solving issues through violence is the best strategy. This might adversely affect their future life, and they might suffer from mental health, become bad parents themselves, fall victim of domestic violence or drug abuse, or even result in criminal behavior.
If you want to correct behavior in your child, there are a variety of methods you can use such as positive reinforcement and discipline.
Remember, there is no one size fits all parenting. Therefore, you can adjust your parenting strategy whenever a need arises, but always make sure you are the best person your children have in their lives. It’s easy for busy parents to get distracted from the most important work of all – raising their kids!
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