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Natural Parenting & Lifestyle
5 Ways To Be A Better Parent
Quick Tips to Be a Better Parent
Every parent is always trying to improve and become better. However, sometimes it is a lot harder than we think. Here are five quick tips on how to be a better parent that are easy to do and will make you feel good!
1. Write Down Your Parenting Goals
Be clear with yourself and your partner about the kind of parent you want to be. Write down your goals and self-expectations as a parent and post them somewhere you will see regularly.
This will help you not get caught up in the stress and emotions of daily life and to focus more on what you want your parenting experience to be.
2. Address Emotions – Not Behaviors
Addressing emotions rather than behaviors allows you to get to the root of why a child is behaving a certain way. Instead of trying to fix anything, simply support them in feeling their emotions and expressing them in healthy ways.
For example, instead of having a child go to time out for yelling, you can say “it sounds like you’re feeling really frustrated right now. I understand it’s frustrating when mommy stops you, but we aren’t going to yell.” Give them time to feel what they need to in safe ways.
For example, if a child tries to hit, you can say “I see you’re mad. It’s okay to be mad but we can’t hit. You can stomp your feet or talk to me about how you feel.”
3. Have A Regularly Scheduled Bonding Activity
Choose something you will both enjoy that requires little instruction (at least to start). The goal is to bond and connect, so choose something with the least amount of opportunity to create frustration and disagreements.
4. Communicate Love & Pride
Share with your child regularly that you love them. If they feel positive attention easily, they are less likely to try to get your attention with negative behaviors.
It is also helpful to communicate when you are proud or happy with a child’s behavior. “I’m proud of you when you use calm words to ask for what you need.” This a great way to build your relationship as well as to express to your child what behaviors you do want from them.
5. Give Expectations – Not Criticisms
As communicating what behaviors you are proud of helps encourage good behavior and positive communication, giving clear expectations sets children up to succeed.
This one is probably the hardest to put into action. It can be very difficult to not criticize a child for unwanted behaviors since we want to be clear we don’t like the behavior, but in order to limit stress and support positive behaviors, it is important we focus on giving the child clear expectations.
For example instead of after the fact saying “No, mommy doesn’t like when you color on the couch, that’s messy,” you can say “mommy needs you to color only on paper so we can keep the couch clean.” It takes practice, but once you get the hang of it, you and your child will feel less stressed!
YES! I think every parent needs to read this!
Thank you! I do too. I wrote it and I need to read it regularly to remind myself 🤣
I love this! All excellent advice!
Thank you!
I think the most challenging thing for me is to find something to connect with my son that we both enjoy doing. He’s going to be two in October, and I really want to find something for us to bond over before our second baby gets here.
It can be hard when they’re that little! I think your best bets would be any art or sensory Activities 😊 Play-Doh, cooking, water, and dirt could I be good things to bond over!
I like this! Great post.
Thank you!
These are all great tips for parents. You’re doing great here. Love your post!
These tips are sooo important ! I also wrote a similar post! this topic is very important especially nowadays with our busy life! thanks for sharing !
Give expectations not criticism. That really spoke to me because it can be so easy to criticism. This is very thoughtful and intentional parenting. Thanks for sharing.
So happy it spoke to you! Thank you for your support!
I love all these. Saving this and will remember and write down my parenting goals. Thanks for sharing.
Happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for the support!
I love these 5 tips on being a better parent. I need to use them more in dealing with my toddler’s emotions.
I definitely needed to read this having a toddler. I hate yelling at him, I definitely need to check.myself.
I feel you. I’m already checking myself as well. So helpful to set yourself up with daily reminders.
*always
These are all really good tips. I think the most important thing is to be present and put down our cell phones and just play/converse and pay attention to our kids. It’s easy to “be there” all day but not actually be present with all the electronics available to us
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