You Can Do Everyday To Make Parenting Awesome!

Accept imperfection:  Parenting is a huge opportunity to  accept that everyone makes mistakes and that these mistakes are a chance to learn together, a wonderful time for reflection and an opportunity to problem solve and practice acceptance, forgiveness and compassion.

Smile: It’s contagious and brings happiness to the world.  After spending time apart, when you meet again, greet your child with a smile. When things are going not so great, breathe and try to think of something that makes you smile.  It’s simple and yet so powerful.

Listen:   Make time to listen to your child’s dreams, hopes and stories. Listen to the heartaches, the problems and the fears. Do not worry so much about fixing and solving problems, instead listen with the intent to be there, listen with a kind heart and strive to  be present and supportive.

Dare to be Ridiculous: You want your child to have courage, joy, happiness and a desire to find meaning in life? Dare to be ridiculous: dance together, laugh, laugh and laugh some more, invent, create, play, whatever it may be, step outside your comfort zone once a day. It’s worth every moment of connection and it models amazing qualities needed for success.

Be Encouraging: The more we can encourage, the more our children can flourish.   Look and celebrate process and progress, determination and courage. Face success and failures with compassion and with the intent to be supportive.

Expect Limits to be Tested: Know that limits and boundaries will be tested because your child is still learning and trying to understand how the world and relationships work.  Shift your expectations and face those test with determination, kindness and flexibility and guide your child towards better choices in positive ways.  

Communicate with Respect: Remember the impact that your voice has on your child’s inner voice and strive to communicate in ways that are respectful, positive and kind. Say yes as much as you can and say no when you really mean it.

Spend time together: Look for opportunities, no matter how short they may be, to truly connect with your child each day. It can be five minutes reading together, two minutes shared looking at a picture, 15 minutes playing a game or going out to lunch together, find those moments and be truly present with your child. Children that feel connected are naturally more cooperative.

Aim for Balance:  Make time for yourself to re-energize. Our children are learning not just from what we say but so much from watching us. Striving to lead a balanced life, which includes time for ourselves really matters.  When our own tanks are full, we can handle the ups and downs of parenting much better.

Choose Love: Things will get messy, loud, sticky, complicated and stressful.Choose love and building a relationship over proving you have power. Children learn so much when given a chance to fix their own mistakes. Choose love and over the years your child will feel capable and remember “my parents loved me so” and not  ”my parents always told me so”.

What is Positive Parenting? Its Benefits and Advantages

One of the most significant debating issues in the world of parenting is the manner which a parent can nurture and raise her children. In this effect, parenting methods assume lot of significance. Every parent has her own parenting style. Each one of them is special and unique. Conversely, there cannot be two similar parenting methods or techniques even though the foundation principles that back all parenting methods are almost similar. In other words, all parents want to give the best of life to their children. However, another question still lingers around in the minds of parents. In what manner parents can give the best of life to their children - You can ask this basic question to yourself. Some parents use a positive parenting style to nurture their children while others might use a method that borders on a sense of negativity.

Almost every other parenting expert recommends using a positive parenting style that ensures a positive parenting influence on the children. So, what is positive parenting style? Is there is special connotation attached to it? Are there any special techniques tagged to it? In a way, positive parenting is a style of parenting that depends on using positive principles and result-oriented techniques and methods. Now, let us understand the basic principles of positive parenting and in what manner you can use its principles to nurture your children.

Positive parenting is also known as a type of guidance to keep your children in the right momentum or place them on the correct path. With positive parenting, you can use a positive way to raise your children all the while resisting any urge or temptation to use a harsh or punitive disciplining method to correct children. In simple words, positive parenting is also known by the following words:

• Positive discipline
• Gentle guidance
• Loving guidance
• Affectionate guidance

With positive parenting, you can raise children who are responsible, dutiful, and considerate. Such children will also be happier, contended and resourceful. However, one can never attach any set of rules to positive parenting. Positive parenting is not about parenting style per se. Positive parenting is actually a method of leading a productive life with your children. In addition, life is free of fear, fright, scare and undue disciplining.