Having children is an amazing event. Actually surviving raising those children takes some perseverance. Too many people are afraid to learn new ways to parent their children. Take some time to read this article and learn some great new tips that may help you survive the parenting years.
A useful tip for any parent is to resist the urge to do everything for your children. Instead, help your kids learn to do things on their own. In this way, they will develop an invaluable sense of confidence in their own skills and abilities and grow into capable, independent adults.
Try to attend every performance, sporting event, or whatever your child has going on. This is a great way for you to show your child that you care about them and to encourage them in whatever they want to do. If you have multiple children and their events conflict with each other, one parent may have to go to one event and the other to the other event; but always try to attend these events unless you absolutely cannot.
If you have a difficult or especially demanding toddler, consider part-time daycare or nursery school. These options allow you maintain most of the control in raising your child, but still get them out of the house. Nursery school can provide a situation in which your child is being cared for by someone who won’t give in to their demands and doesn’t mind if they cry.
Do not allow your own mood to interfere with consistent disciplinary approaches for your children. Even if you are tired or feeling irritable, you should not deliver an uncommonly harsh (or uncommonly lax) disciplinary action. Failure to consistently use the same method creates an impression of flexibility and “wiggle room” that can greatly compromise the effectiveness of your rule-setting.
Sometimes, the best reaction is no reaction at all. When your child throws a temper tantrum or fit, remain calm. Do not try to bribe him or her to behave, but also avoid making irritated or caustic remarks with the intention of threatening or shaming the child. Instead, continue speaking normally, getting chores done and addressing the child, as if he or she was not acting up.
When it comes to trying to change kids’ bad behavior, parents should try to “walk the walk” by setting a good example. Just as most parents cannot stand the sound of their children whining, nearly all children can hardly bear parental nagging. Instead of constantly harping on your child, make a positive statement encouraging them to follow through with some action and accompanying it with a brief explanation of the consequences of failure to do so.
Even if your sick child begins to show signs of feeling better after a few days of antibiotics, you should follow the doctor’s orders exactly and finish the course of therapy. If your child does not finish the entire dosing plan, weakened bacteria may remain in his or system and become resistant to the antibiotics.
When treating common children’s cold and flu symptoms, always check the active ingredients in his or her medications whether it is an over-the-counter or prescription medicine. These products contain multiple ingredients that are commonly found in a number of medications. Rather than risk an overdose, it is safest to use only one medication unless otherwise directed by a pediatrician.
A parent’s job is never done, but making it through those first 18 years is a not so difficult. There are a million things that we can learn about how to parent but the most important thing is that whatever you do, you do with love. Keep learning, and keep loving and your kids will be the better for it.
