Mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins and best friends has an idea about how you should be a parent. While advice from other parents can be useful, it's a lot easier to digest when you're not being commanded to act! Read below for some advice from parents who've been there, but are not telling you what to do.
Give children control over some areas of their life. Children need boundaries and guidance, but being too strict and rigid in every area can leave them feeling crushed and stifled. Give them the chance to make some choices on their own, such as what they wear for the day, or how they organize their room.
Make sure you're being consistent with your punishments and rules. You can't expect your children to behave or follow your rules if you're not consistent with enforcing them. If not having desert until all of their dinner is finished is a rule, you need to make sure that you actively enforce that rule.
It is important to stand by your child when the going gets tough and they are having a hard time with something. All children go through one point or another where they feel bad about themselves. As their parent, it is your job to make them feel better through encouraging words or actions.
When raising teenagers, it may seem as if you are always focusing on the negative things they do. It is important to take some time out and praise them for some of their positive accomplishments. If all they hear is negative, it pushes them down, try some positive reinforcement; you will like the results you get from your teen.
If you have multiple children, you and your spouse or partner should each plan one-on-one time with each child. Your "dates" might include accompanying you on trips to the store, going out for ice cream, or other activities. Your children will relish in the individual attention, and they will appreciate being able to talk to you about their lives without interruption from their siblings.
See if you can obtain digital texts for your child to use at home. That negates the need for them to carry heavy books back and forth and the possibility that they will forget the text needed for that night's critical assignment. More and more schools are going to digital texts and the advantages are enormous.
Avoid dominating the conversation when your child is talking to you. You might know what is best for him, but your child needs to feel like he has some control. When you dominate the conversation, he will feel powerless. Let him have some input and talk about his ideas. If you let him have his say, even if he ends up doing things your way, he will feel less resentful.
Take advantage of your child's school's computer records to keep up with your child's daily progress. Most school systems today have computerized tracking of grades and assignments. Get the access code to that system and use it on a daily basis to make sure nothing slips up on you when report cards come out.
Children know more than what you're willing to tell them, so try to save that "You're too young to understand" stuff for only the most serious topics. You don't want to patronize your children in any way. If they are able to understand something, it doesn't hurt you at all to explain it to them.
You should take the advice above and merge it all into a parenting encyclopedia in your mind. It's great to look at situations others have dealt with to see what you can learn from them. It will make you a much better parent just for caring enough to want to learn!
Give children control over some areas of their life. Children need boundaries and guidance, but being too strict and rigid in every area can leave them feeling crushed and stifled. Give them the chance to make some choices on their own, such as what they wear for the day, or how they organize their room.
Make sure you're being consistent with your punishments and rules. You can't expect your children to behave or follow your rules if you're not consistent with enforcing them. If not having desert until all of their dinner is finished is a rule, you need to make sure that you actively enforce that rule.
It is important to stand by your child when the going gets tough and they are having a hard time with something. All children go through one point or another where they feel bad about themselves. As their parent, it is your job to make them feel better through encouraging words or actions.
When raising teenagers, it may seem as if you are always focusing on the negative things they do. It is important to take some time out and praise them for some of their positive accomplishments. If all they hear is negative, it pushes them down, try some positive reinforcement; you will like the results you get from your teen.
If you have multiple children, you and your spouse or partner should each plan one-on-one time with each child. Your "dates" might include accompanying you on trips to the store, going out for ice cream, or other activities. Your children will relish in the individual attention, and they will appreciate being able to talk to you about their lives without interruption from their siblings.
See if you can obtain digital texts for your child to use at home. That negates the need for them to carry heavy books back and forth and the possibility that they will forget the text needed for that night's critical assignment. More and more schools are going to digital texts and the advantages are enormous.
Avoid dominating the conversation when your child is talking to you. You might know what is best for him, but your child needs to feel like he has some control. When you dominate the conversation, he will feel powerless. Let him have some input and talk about his ideas. If you let him have his say, even if he ends up doing things your way, he will feel less resentful.
Take advantage of your child's school's computer records to keep up with your child's daily progress. Most school systems today have computerized tracking of grades and assignments. Get the access code to that system and use it on a daily basis to make sure nothing slips up on you when report cards come out.
Children know more than what you're willing to tell them, so try to save that "You're too young to understand" stuff for only the most serious topics. You don't want to patronize your children in any way. If they are able to understand something, it doesn't hurt you at all to explain it to them.
You should take the advice above and merge it all into a parenting encyclopedia in your mind. It's great to look at situations others have dealt with to see what you can learn from them. It will make you a much better parent just for caring enough to want to learn!
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Do you need backpacks for your kids? Be sure to periodically take a look in their backpacks. You'd be surprised how often backpacks need replacing due to wear and tear and or bad smells.
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