Healthy Habits To Follow For Effective Parenting

Healthy Habits To Follow For Effective Parenting

Good parenting is hard work. As parents we make a lot of mistake. There are times when we yell at our kids, and our kids tell back at us. Neither of us are perfect and we don’t need to be. Effective parenting doesn’t require us to achieve perfection. All it requires is to turn all the mistakes that we make into opportunities to teach valuable life lessons to our kids.

Sharing with you some healthy habits to follow for effective parenting:

1 Practice what we preach

Walk the walk. Don’t just tell your child/children what you want them to do. Show them by being a role model. Children watch everything their parents do very carefully. Show them positive behaviour and attitude. Have empathy towards your child’s emotions, respect your child and your child will follow suit.

2. Practice positive discipline.

Setting limits and being consistent are the keys to good discipline. Be kind and firm when enforcing those rules. Focus on the reason behind the child’s behaviour and make it an opportunity to learn for the future rather than punish for the past. As parents we need to keep a little flexibility at hand for certain situations.

3. Open communication

Open and regular communication with kids is important. It teaches them about language, social skills and imaginative thinking. And also makes them feel secured and appreciated. It shows that you care about what they think.

4. Read them daily

Its a great way to bond with kids and also explain values etc through stories. Reading aloud takes kids to new concepts and takes them to a new world of creativity and imagination.

5. Spend quality time with kids

Even if it is for a short duration, spend time playing together or cooking together. What matters to the child is our undivided attention.

6. Teach them about failures

Teach your child/children to deal with uncomfortable emotions like failure and rejection in a healthy manner. It’s imp to explain them that sometimes despite hard work things don’t go the way we planned. Encourage them l to fix their problems on their own and help them understand that sometimes things don’t go our way and that is no reason to give up.

7. Respect child’s need for independence

As parents we should learn to accept, acknowledge and agree the choices our kids make. Just because the child doesn’t do things the way we might want them to do, does not mean it’s a bad idea. Let children face the natural consequences and learn the positive impact that making smart decisions can have on their life.

8. Me-time as parents

We need some me-time away from children to recharge our relationship with them. Stepping away once in a while will teach them that they can be OK without you.

Effective parenting provides a strong security to the child making it very clear that no matter how many mistakes a child makes, we will always be there with them. Assure kids time an again that we love them unconditionally, that our love doesn’t depend on their achievement or success.

Raising a happy child is one of the most challenging jobs a parent can have & also one of the most rewarding. Good parenting fosters empathy, honesty, self-reliance, self-control, kindness, cooperation and cheerfulness. A parent’s relationship with his/her child is usually reflected in the child’s actions. Hence, as parents we need to keep a check on our parenting actions.