Introduction:

Learning good parenting skills and their application in real life is not rocket science. What it needs is your better understanding of your child’s needs and his/her approach to the outside world.

Good parenting not only means spending sleepless nights with a crying baby or hours in helping kids to complete their homework but also about providing them a warm, safe home, best education and a platform to help them grow as individuals. It is about teaching your children different values such as helping others, respecting others and sharing.

This requires you to teach them the distinction between right and wrong. Parenting helps children build self-respect and view everything with a positive eye. It does not mean bounding your children with rules and regulations; it involves teaching them the right behavior for different occasions in life.

For good parenting, you need to encourage your kids from time to time so that they know how to behave in public and deal with difficult situations.  In the beginning, your children will find it hard to learn all the lessons; they will misbehave or show unhappiness or frustration, but you have to keep your calm and handle them with utmost care and love. Make your children feel secured, valued and loved.

For Good Parenting, Read the Following Tips:

• For culminating good habits, sit with them and talk about the importance of good behavior. Involve them in activities such as tiding up the home and putting things on the right places. Do not push your children to do things instead give brief and positive instructions.
• Praise the kids a little to get them to help you more. Always let them know that you are pleased with their right action or behavior. Motivate them and praise them upon every achievement. Give them a hug or a kiss to tell them how good they are. Small gifts can encourage them even more!
• To develop discipline in your children, make a timetable for their routine activities. Sticking to that timetable will teach them the significance of time. Timetables are an effective way of teaching punctuality to children.
• Expect your children to progress in small steps; never load them with expectations or demands. Instead of punishments, talk to them about their mistake and let them correct it on their own. This will develop self-reliance, which is the main component for self-esteem.
• Spend quality time with your children. For instance, on weekends, you can take them for picnic, treat them with a burger or pizza or play with them. Ask your children about their day and discuss their interests. Children, who regularly get quality time with their parents, do not act out of their parents’ wishes. Spending quality time with your kids will prevent them from developing stress or depression in difficult situations.

Checking out some parenting books in the library or in the market will give you dimensions to explore the different types of parenting from which you can pick and decide on the one you want to provide your child with.

Look around in your daily life and you will see few good examples of parenting. In fact, your parents can be your role model. A neighbor or a friend, who is a good mother or a father, can help you in handling your child in a better manner. Observe the way they handle, discipline, deal with thick situations and give general care and love to their children. Observing them will develop your parenting tricks; you can take note of the skills that can be followed to give appropriate parenting to your child.

Stay Connected

Hugs and cuddles with your toddler keep you both connected. Your toddler will feel comforted, safe and accepted, more so when you are also upset with his misbehavior. Distancing him from you only adds to his distress.  Instead, draw him into your emotional circle. Notice how this approach makes your child more receptive and cooperative. Become attuned to his subtle emotions. Be playful, dance and sing together to enjoy your changing relationship.

When you take time each day to have your own needs met, you are better able to understand and meet your child’s needs. Take good care of yourself to be able to take great care of your child.

Few Golden Rules Important for Parenting Your Child:

Discipline:

Help children understand their limits and grow into responsible adults. We as parents need to set rules and limits for our children and be consistent in enforcing them.

Appreciation:

An occasional applause does wonders for the self-esteem of a child. Appreciate time and again for small gesture as it acts as a motivating force.

Quality not Quantity:

It is not important to spend a lot of time with children. By giving them a listening ear the child is able to get rid of fears and becomes more attached and comfortable with the parents.

Role Model:

A child is a keen observer and studies have proved that they generally behave and act in the same way as their parents. Be respectful. Honest and be compassionate first and then expect your child to do the same.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words:

Hugging and cuddling the children and showing them your love is very important rather than just telling them that you love them.

Make Communication Your Priority:

There should be a two-way communication flow between parents and children. Rather dominating them and dictating them terms, let them also vent out their feelings. Parents who reason with their children allow them to understand and learn in a non-judgmental way.

Be Flexible and Realistic:

Each and every child is different. Be realistic in your expectations from them. Be flexible in changing your behavior and attitude according to your child. Understand your child’s aptitude and then set the goals.

Show Your love is Unconditional:

As a parent you are responsible for correcting and guiding your child, but how you express your corrective guidance makes all the difference in how your child receives it. He needs to be told that you will love him no matter what.

Nurture Self- Esteem:

Each child is special and needs to be treated that way. Boost up your child’s confidence levels by giving them a lot of encouragement and appreciation. Nurture his self-esteem and never compare him with others.

Separate the Deed From the Doer:

Whenever a child misbehaves or does a wrong deed, do not criticize the child. Rather tell him that he is not bad but the action or behavior is bad. So never condemn the child but his behavior.

Motivation Does Wonders:

Motivation can help the children to achieve the impossible. Constant positive motivation encourages the children to enjoy and like the task they do.

Discipline teenagers: Parents of teenagers should be vigilant and active and always keep a close eye on them. The child needs to be respected and likes to be treated like a grown up. Hence discipline them in the correct manner.

Increasing suicidal tendencies in teenagers: Many parents are totally in shock when they realize their suicidal tendencies. The reason is the lack of communication between them. Parents should talk openly with their children about their feelings. They should listen to them and take their views on all the issues and treat them properly.

Let them be independent: Let the teenagers be independent in deciding about their subjects, hobbies, etc. Do not pressurize them with your thoughts. Sometimes parents want their children to achieve what they were not able to achieve. This is not fair as each child has his own preference.

Final Thought:

Rediscover the inner child in yourself and put yourself into your child’s shoes. Remembering what it was like to be a child could give you better realization of a child’s world and his or her necessities.  Setting the things from your child’s perspective can reap you a great deal of understanding of how your child feels and thinks and why he/she, sometimes, is rebellious.

Listening to your child’s demands and teaching him/her the distinction between white and black is another good parenting skill. Always talk in a friendly tone and make your child realize the best usage of given resources and the need to have more.

“Assess the requirements, Explore the opportunities and Implement the changes and Succeed – Sky is the limit”.