The Top 13 Parenting Tips Every Parent Should Know About!

Parenting is a roller coaster ride. It is the most exciting journey in a person’s life. Full of ups and downs, it is a tempestuous journey. You are rained with advice, yet there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. Raising up every child is different, and you are left with one muddling question, whether you are doing it right?

A child’s happiness is the top most priority of every parent. But no matter how much a parent cocoons his/her child, the troubles of the world are bound to hit them at some point. Therefore, the fear-based parenting of the time further creates issues and hinders the flourishment of the child.

You won’t find one parent who, from childhood to adulthood, has done everything flawlessly. A healthy childhood is one where there is a strong bond between the child and parent, and the focus always remains on strengthening and maintaining this bond. Every relationship is built on understanding, and for that, it is vital to understand the perspective of the other person. Same is the case with the relation between a parent and child.

Very often a child gets rude and offensive, there are many reasons and pent-up emotions behind it. As a parent it is your duty to help them to acknowledge those emotions and make them understand that it is okay to open up and to justify your actions.  

Let’s peek into some of the positive parenting techniques that will help you through your parenting ride!

1. Be All Ears Around them

Do not ignore your child. Listen to them at all times. It will make them feel important and heard. Enquire about their day. It will make them come to you in case of any peculiar happening or anything unusual for them.

If they do not approach you for the advice, you can take their views on various situations to understand them better. Turning every conversation into a lecture will irritate them and give them an inferior feeling. They might stop coming to you if they are berated at every occasion, and it will make them grow distant from you. Benefit from every little opportunity you get by talking to them. Hear them out during the family meals or when driving together. Be always there for them and let them know of your presence constantly.

2. Teach them to Make Mistakes and To Learn From Them

Being all perfect in front of them and stopping them from making mistakes will break them when things go wrong. Make mistakes in front of them to show them that mistakes are part of growing up. Teaching them verbally won’t be as effective as actually doing. But do not forget to ingrain in them the concept of learning from them and accepting them. A valuable lesson will be to teach them to learn to forgive themselves.

They should know that it’s okay to be imperfect. That beneath the perfection lies the inner beauty and struggles, and that is what matters.

3. Let Them Make Mistakes

Turn off your parent alarm and sometimes let your children take the wrong decision. This will teach them persistence and make them wise in the long run. Allowing them to overcome challenges on their own, with you by their side, will not only make them competent but give them the feeling that you trust them.

This will develop their character and embed in them a sense of responsibility. Thinking out of the box will nurture their minds and will culminate into success later in adulthood. Allow them to experiment things. The more they will try and get it wrong the perfect and wise they will become in the long run.

4. Do not lose your inner peace

Do not lose yourself in the face of any difficulty. Remain calm even if the child is taking the strain. This is to explain them better the importance to think rationally and not to make decisions in the heat of the situation which might have negative repercussions. It will help them to remain calm and think of every situation in a broader way when they grow up. It will also develop their personality as a calm person, and they will adroitly find their way out of problems or situations. 

5. Make most of the time spent together

Spend time together with your child to better understand them. As it is said that the precious thing a parent can give his/her child is time. Go out together on weekends or plan picnic. Enjoy the nature, it elevates moods and helps children grow lean and strong.

As opposed to the expensive, glitzy gadgets, introduce them to the world of nature and teach them to connect to people and most importantly to you in person. According to outdoor research activities tend to relax both mind and body. It enhances a person’s imagination and increases the attention spans. It is a requisite for your child’s growth as well as for you. Your mental and physical health are equally important for your child’s well-being. You will better handle things at home if you are well yourself.

As humans, we are more inclined to the negativity. Our minds automatically drift more to the bad happenings than the good ones and the negative emotions have a firmer grip on our minds. This is why you need to praise your children more for the little efforts they make. For the way they come up with solutions and handle things. Do not criticize them for who they are as every child is born with different capabilities and has a different mechanism. Appreciate them even if they fail to reach their desired results but have strived for it. It will teach them not to give up and lose hope. In this way they can end up being great at tackling things and embracing disappointments yet not succumb to them. If they know that they will be valued for the efforts they make, they will do things with more devotion. They will know that they can always come to you, for you will love them despite their failures.

There are two sides to compassion. Self-compassion and compassion for others. Introducing them to self-compassion will show them the unconditional side of love. A person who is unhappy and unsatisfied himself can never love others. Make sure not to associate your love to their behavior. Otherwise, it will seal their love with conditions. Phrases like “if you love me” or “you don’t love me since you didn’t listen to me” will form a different image of love for them. They will end up thinking that love exists as long as our needs are being fulfilled.

 Ingraining love for others is equally important. Teach them to be empathetic and caring towards others.

Be charitable so that they learn from you to help people in need. Also, it will teach them gratitude for things they would otherwise take for granted. They will look more towards the brighter side of life and develop an optimistic attitude. They will learn to value things they have and to be grateful. They will see how unpredictable the flow of wealth is and how they must care more for the humans. It will help minimize the materialistic approach developing in kids today. They will not only appreciate the blessings they have been given but also abhor the prodigal use of things.

8. Let them stretch their wings and fly, but be there to catch them if they fall

Little by little, teach them to take care of themselves. Assign them a responsibility so that they learn to manage things on their own. One step at a time and gradually they will be able to take care of more things before taking the lead in life. Let them try harder things and do not stop them. It will boost their confidence and self-esteem. Worrying so much about things that might go wrong and stop them from trying out things will hinder their growth and rob them of the opportunity to try out new things. Let them stretch their wings and fly high. Never fail to inform them that you are there for them in case anything goes wrong. They will churn into happy and self-sufficient adults. Don’t be the reason for stopping them from trying out greater things. Let them follow their passions and wherever it takes them. It is essential for their flourishment and for making them a greater person. They shouldn’t regret to not being able to do something because you were the reason. Instead, encourage them to pursue their dreams. For if they are happy and content, you too will be.

Do not lose your calm during any grave situation. In case your child seems disturbed and vents out on you, do not start fighting back. It might not be about you, it could be anything else that is on their mind causing them to lose their temper. Don’t lash out on them, instead talk to them and know of their feelings. Otherwise, they might start avoiding you. Also, it might escalate things. Give them time to get their feelings under control and then talk it out. If you will react equally to the situation they will pick up those same things which will later become part of their character and harm them and you as well.

10. Stop playing tug of war

As parents, we are the in charge of the house, and we expect children to follow orders. This tug of war of power irritates them. So do not boss around. Instead act as a leader, who shows the path and helps through it. It’s okay if they don’t feel like eating or would sometimes want to sleep late. Enjoying and staying out late once in a while with friends will not be the end of the world. Not appreciating their wrongdoings is different from punishing them forever for it. Forgive them and give them a chance to correct themselves. It’s okay sometimes to let down the weapons and allow them to be themselves.

11. Shower them with love

Kisses and hug now and then show your affection and love for them. Children tend to enjoy the love showered on them. Holding hands, and demonstrating your love creates the bond of social connection. Touch is the best way to show this. Studies have shown that physical contact boosts emotions and cuts on the stress hormones.

In order to achieve things our children wish for, it is essential for us to teach them self-discipline. Love and affection should not stand between teaching them things that will help them in the long run. One thing we parents need to understand is the difference between loving our children and spoiling them. Empathize with your child’s frustration but keep on encouraging them to deal with things. They should learn to manage things on their own.

13. Let the tears flow

We as parents have to understand that our children should be expressive. In those expressions they sometimes need to let those tears fall. Tell them that it’s okay to sometimes let those feelings of anger and hurt out. It is not dangerous to open up the latch and let them out as it is to lock them in. Take your time to sort out your own irritation but not in front of them. And then explain them things with compassion and empathy.

In A Nutshell

To be a good parent, you need to step into the shoes of your child and look at things from their eyes before taking any decisions. You must be familiar with the tumultuous journey to adulthood. It comprises of varying emotions adults tend to misunderstand sometimes. Therefore, never assume to know everything. Let your child grow out of the shell you have created around them. Encourage their passions. Keep the fire to strive for better lit within them always!

Author Bio: Harry James is a freelance blogger and a professional content writer. He love’s to write on any niche, currently working as a content analyst at Timac Inc.