Contents
Introduction – 5 Parenting Tips You NEED To Know
From the moment a woman finds out she is expecting, she and her partner’s minds begin to wander as they try to imagine the appearance, personality, interests, and features of their new little bundle of joy.
Flash forward a few years, and you know your child inside and out! At times, you probably feel like you know them even better than they know themselves. Despite this, our children never hesitate to throw us curveballs that leave us wondering how to handle a situation the “right” way.
Sound familiar? If so, you’re in the right place!
In this article, we are going to deep-dive into the 5 MOST important tips that every parent needs to know. Even though every parent, child, and situation is different, using these tips as guidelines will make sure you come out of the scenario feeling comfortable, confident, and connected with your child.
Let’s get into it!
5 Parenting Tips You Need To Know
Recognize that neither you nor your child is perfect.
Let’s start with some self-reflection, shall we?
As parents, it is SO easy to find ourselves comparing our lives to those on social media. In fact- there is an entire industry of media influencers whose purpose is to make their lives look picture-perfect (like what you would see in a commercial) in order to sell products!
Being constantly bombarded with this content gets overwhelming, and can lead to a lot of feelings of mom guilt and defeat.
Let’s take a moment to realize that as a person, you are not perfect. Neither is your child! Two imperfect people trying to work through life together (no matter how much love is there) is going to lead to some bumps along the way. That is completely okay.
The first step to becoming a great parent is accepting yourself and your child for who they are, and where they are at today. By realizing that perfection is not the goal, you give yourself the breathing room that is required so that you can grow!
Listening goes a long way.
When kids are infants and in their early toddlerhood years, parents get used to speaking for their children since they cannot speak on their own. This can lead to a difficult transitional period as the child starts to develop their language and communication skills.
Of course, parents have a more well-rounded and profound knowledge of the world and its inner workings. That, however, does not mean that our children don’t have some pretty fantastic things to say!
No matter how difficult to understand, how abstract the idea, or how unrealistic what your child is saying is, take the time to listen. Do not listen with the intent to respond, but purely with the intent to hear your child’s message that they want to relay to you.
The hard moments will always come to an end.
Sometimes, life as a parent is hard. Meltdowns, tantrums, and arguments really cannot be glamorized! In these moments, your child probably doesn’t know what they want, which means it can be extremely confusing to know how to soothe them.
In these moments, take solace in the fact that even the most challenging parenting moments will come to an end. The bedtime routine that has been going on for an hour and a half? It will be a distant memory by tomorrow. The grocery store meltdown that has every person looking your way? Soon it will be a story to tell!
As hard as things are in the moment, you know that it will come to an end. Use all of your self-regulation skills to keep your cool until then.
Boundaries are necessary and consistency is key!
As a parent, nobody wants the title of controlling or bossy. However, a parent’s role is to instill boundaries and guidelines so that your child grows up in an environment where they are safe, secure, and able to thrive.
It can be hard to implement boundaries if your child is a natural “rule-breaker”. In that case, it will take a little bit of extra effort… but it is possible!
Hold strong to the boundaries you put in place and remember that consistency is key. The more you waver in your consistency, the more your child will try to push the boundaries to the point that they are no longer being maintained.
When all else fails, show your child that your love is unconditional.
If there is one tip that needs to stick, it is this one. In the case of an argument or disagreement with your child, there is truly only one thing that matters: securing and supporting the attachment between you and your child.
No matter your child’s age, they need and deserve to feel loved. It is possible to hold boundaries, be consistent, and work through difficult times while still placing your loving relationship with your child above all else!
As a parent, your love is unconditional. Do everything in your power to ensure your child knows that!
BONUS TIP!
No parent is perfect. No matter what social media portrays, or what someone tries to tell you- every parent has hard times when they feel like they don’t know what they are doing or how to handle a situation. Cut yourself some slack!
Every parent’s journey with their child(ren) will be unique and incompatible with the journey of any other family. By taking the time to read this article, you are already taking steps to be the best parent you can be.
0 Comments