To be Good Parents Guidance

Now is parents’ turn. Good parents don’t just happen immediately, right? Parents should grow and apply lessons that they have learned. Continually trying to improve themselves and their parenting skills are important things to do. Author and Pediatrician Marianne Neifert shares the seven things that will help you understand what makes a goods parent. Here they are:

Provide unconditional love and encouragement to your child.
Saying I love you, is important. But even more important is showing your child that you love them by giving your time and attention. Playing games, reading stories, and talking all show your love. Encouragement is also essential. Every child needs to feel like their parents are their best cheerleader. And with their parents help they can accomplish anything.

Make your children a high priority.
This doesn’t mean that you don’t take care of yourself and your marriage. But it does mean that your children should come before others. This may mean that you need to say ‘no’ sometimes.

Strengthen your team as parents.
Strengthening your team applies to parents. It means that parents agree beforehand on important issues like rules and discipline. They discuss together important decisions that need to be made concerning the children and family.

Discipline consistently.
To cultivate this quality of being a good parent is one of the hardest things to do. At the end of a hard day it is so easy to give in to a child that is crying or whining, but that is not consistent. It does not teach them and only makes your job as a parent more difficult. Set limits and rules and always enforce them.

Teach responsibility.
Give your children responsibilities. You can ask your child to keep clean and tidy his/her own bed room. Or any other responsibilities such as emptying the small garbage cans every week, helping clean up the house, clearing their dishes off of the table, etc. Children need to understand that they are responsible for their own actions and the consequences that follow.

Create togetherness through routines.
Daily, weekly, or even yearly family rituals create a bond between family members. It may be as simple as reading a book together every night or taking a yearly trip to the beach. Dr. Neifert says rituals provide the "social glue that bonds one generation to another, creating many of the special anchor memories within a family".

Take time to recharge.
Parents need to take some time for themselves. When you are running on empty you are not doing your children any good. Lack of sleep, isolation and self-neglect can leave parents feeling physically exhausted, emotionally depressed and useless. Husbands and wives can spend time together every evening after putting children in bed. You can have a date night every Saturday night, though it usually consists of watching a movie or playing games at home.

After knowing the seven steps to be a good parent, you can begin to apply it actually. Take it one step at a time...

Source: thecutekid.com/Teresa and google
Picture source: supaswap.com