What makes a good parent
With the current uncertainty and crisis we’re facing globally, it’s becoming more and more challenging to make any personal decision. But what are we to do when there’s an entire family to care for and a ton of issues to resolve daily?
And everywhere we turn to, we get bombarded with millions of entirely contradictory statements. Conscious parenting is all the rave now, but there are still plenty of advocates supporting the traditional approach or some version of it.
What makes a good parent in today’s world?
If you, too, are struggling to try to find the best parenting approach in this day and age, we’re here to help you with some fresh perspective on the topic. Here are some of the most crucial parenting skills for the new and expecting parents to find their mojo in today’s world.
Keep up
A good parent is an informed parent who learns with their kids.
Whether we like it or not, social media has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives. To keep your kids safe, protected, and entertained online, you better keep up with the latest trends.
As the leading Instagram growth service flocksocial suggests, Instagram influencers have become our primary source of product recommendation and lifestyle inspiration.
Instead of restricting all social media to their children, good parents have acquired a somewhat longer but much more efficient approach. Learn about the latest social media platforms and trends together with your kids. This way, you can uncover all the benefits and downsides together and draw constructive conclusions instead of risking your kids become victims of forbidden fruits.
Continuously work on your relationship.
Parenting is a marathon, not a race, as you’ve probably realized already. However, way too many times, we fail to recognize that building our parent-child relationships is a never-ending process. As our kids grow and encounter more diverse circumstances, they shift and change right before our eyes.
Therefore, we must offer the right kind of support for each different step in their journey to adulthood.
Here are the fundamental pillars of your parent-child relationship that you should focus on nurturing at all stages:
- Trust
- Safety
- Sense of caring
- Concern
- Commitment
Needless to say, it’s not always easy to find the right strategy to go about this. At times you might be short of time, burdened with work, or too overwhelmed to be able to find the right communication methods to get through to your little ones.
This is why it’s essential to have strong relationships with your children in the first place, as it creates that solid background to play off of when push comes to shove.
Lead by example
Worried about your kids spending too much time in front of the TV or playing video games?
Having a hard time instilling healthy habits and routines?
Have you checked yourself first?
Whichever direction you want your kids to go in life, you have to make yourself an example of that exact behavior. Kids don’t hear your words if your behavior doesn’t match the words. They instead mirror your actions and entirely subconsciously turn into a mini-you.
Therefore, if you want to see some positive change, be the role model yourself.
Motivate the right way
Of course, you can’t help but criticize once you see the same negative behavior repeated for the 100th time. It’s pretty much impossible to restrain yourself. Because you want the best for your children and believe this is the right way to correct any harmful behavior.
Well, not entirely.
Positive reward systems work much better in any behavior learning and training. You can recall a ton of instances when you were motivated with positive feedback and also the times when you got wholly discouraged after hearing only the criticism of your negative behavior.
Encouragement is one powerful tool that ensures your kids’ happiness, wellbeing, and motivation. Constructive criticism works only in a small number of situations when there’s nothing positive to be highlighted.
Takeaway
Being a parent in this day and age is quite challenging, and the constant external risks and changes sure don’t ease the struggle.
However, it’s important to stay conscious of your behavior, decisions, and parenting style to ensure you’re on the right track to becoming the best parent your little ones deserve.