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Parenting is an important part of loving and caring for your child. Good parenting is about providing a
warm, secure home, helping your child to learn the rules of life (e.g. how to share, respecting others, etc.) and to develop good self-esteem. You may have to stop them from doing things they shouldn’t be doing, but it is just as important to encourage them to do the things you do want them to do.
Parenting is a tough job because:
- You are probably doing it for the first time
- You have received no formal training for it.
- You are doing it just the way your parents handled you or the way that they didn’t.
- It’s just learning by trial and error and you learn on the job.
Why is parenting important?
Rules are an important part of everyday life. They make it possible for us to get along with one
another. If children do not learn how to behave, they will find it difficult to get on, both with
grown-ups and with other children. They will find it hard to learn at school, will misbehave and will
probably become unhappy and frustrated.
What can I do as a parent?
It is important to make sure that children feel secure, loved and valued, and to notice when they are behaving well. The trick to this is to find strategies that work well for you and your child. Here are some of the ground rules. These need to be experimented with and one day you will be able to write your own book on parenting :
1. Consistency pays:
If you don’t stick to the rules your child will learn that if they ignore them, you will probably give in. Don’t change your rules everyday.
2. Be calm
This can be difficult in the heat of the moment, but it does help. Be calm and clear with your commands, for example ‘please switch off the TV’ or ‘it’s bedtime’.
3. Give lots of praise
Let your children know when they have done something well and when you are pleased with them. For example, give them a hug, give them a kiss and tell them how great they are. You need to do this straight away and not after a few hours or days.
4. Planning ahead
It helps if you and your child know the rules for particular situations before they happen. Don’t make them up as you go along (e.g. if bedtime is 10 p.m., make sure you both stick to it.TV is switched off at 9.00pm).
5. Give Full and Clear instructions
For example ‘please put your toys away’ tells children exactly what you expect them to do. Simply telling them to ‘be good’ does not. If your child can’t understand you, they can’t obey you. Keep it short and simple.
6. Have a face to face talk
Sit down with your child and talk to them about good behaviour. You might be surprised about how much you both agree on. Treat them as young adults
7. Be realistic
It’s no good promising a wonderful reward or dreadful punishment if you are not going to see it through. It is much better to offer small rewards rather than punishments. For example ‘when you have tidied your room, you can have an ice-cream.’ . Use praise as much as a
reward. Don’t expect miracles. If your child has only partly tidied their room, praise them for having started.
8. Enjoy it
Don’t burden yourself with it enjoy it!!
HAPPY PARENTING!!!
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