Having Good Parenting Skills To Teach Your Child

August 29, 2008

When it comes to good parenting skills in any of these areas, the first thing you have to remember is that your children are individuals, just as you are. Some children are very resilient and quick to learn, while others may be stubborn or extremely sensitive.

First-time parenthood can be scary. Every new parent, especially new mothers, wonder whether they are doing the best job possible at raising their child – and no wonder!  In between feeding, bathing, playing and doctor’s visits, you must also teach your child about the world around him.

First Step in Learning Good Parenting Skills

You must provide discipline along with plenty of love and support. There are many questions faced by parents every day. How can I build my child’s sense of self-esteem and self-sufficiency?  How do I ‘punish’ my child for bad behavior without causing real harm?

Therefore, the first step in learning good parenting skills is to learn what’s going to work for your child.  It is easy, for example, to adopt a rule about spanking. Most child-rearing advice today advises against any kind of corporal punishment.  So, what do you do instead? Likewise, what do you do when your child suffers from low self-esteem, and it seems that your efforts at praise are falling on deaf ears?

What’s best way to raise a child?

The steps you’ll take to be a good parent in any of these situations needs to be based on an overall plan or philosophy in regards to the best way to raise your child. Good parenting skills aren’t just lists of “do’s and don’ts”. Your skill at handling any situation will come from your self-confidence in your role as loving protector.
In other words, good parenting is really about patience and consistency (in your words and actions). One of the healthiest approaches you can take with your child is to teach him the laws of cause and effect.

If you believe in teaching your child about cause and effect, and the consequences of his or her actions, there will be no question about how best to provide discipline or positive feedback. Let’s look at an example. Imagine for a moment that your child is in an aggressive phase, and often hits or bites his playmates. If you believe in teaching cause and effect in a healthy way, then you do not hit or bite your child as punishment. Instead, you would take him aside and explain to him that his friend Is not going to want to play with him any more if that behavior continues. If he repeats the behavior, you would end the play session early as punishment, to show him that he won’t be allowed to play at all so long as he behaves aggressively.

Remain Consistent in Discipline

In order to remain consistent, you would also apply this technique to positive situations. For instance, when your child does something nice for someone else, you would then praise him and point out the cause and effect between the desired behavior and the positive outcome.

It’s never too early to start applying good parenting skills. Toddlers are at a prime age to being learning about cause and effect, but babies begin to notice relationships between actions and outcomes as early as four to six months. Be gentle, patient and consistent in your approach, and remember to tailor these lessons to your child’s unique personality.

The Best Parenting Baby Book

June 30, 2008

The definitive parenting baby book can work miracles. It can transform even the fussiest baby into a picture perfect tot. It can point out every parenting mistake and make parenting time a true joy. Every little question is answered and the answers are astonishing. There is nothing this book can not do. It can even change dirty diapers and baby sit when the parents need a night out.

The reality is that the ultimate baby book does not exist. No one source can give comprehensive, working advice for all parents. There are parenting books available but the theories and advice contained within the pages varies according to whatever expert wrote it. The one thing that is quickly discovered when having a baby is that nothing is concrete. The current parenting baby books on the market that is bestsellers were often written many years ago but have been revised and updated to reflect the changing nature and makeup of the parents.

Forty years ago an openly gay couple seeking to have a baby through surrogacy would not have been as accepted as it is currently. The parenting baby book would not have had a section featuring alternative parent units. Single parents were not even under consideration and their circumstances are drastically different than those of two people having a baby.

The thing about parenting is that no one can accurately predict how infancy will go. A parenting baby book can give details about general childhood illness, when to get shots or even when to start solid foods but it cannot cover every single topic. New parenting time is precious and that is the one thing a parenting baby book can attest to. A new mother and father, or mother/mother, father/father, or however the family unit is comprised is an exciting time filled with new adventures each and every day. No two people act the same.

Any parenting baby book will cover the basics. There will be sections devoted to developmental milestones as well as tips or advice for problems that arise. Sometimes this is not enough and a trip to the pediatrician is an answer. The importance of a good patient/doctor relationship is vital. The doctor should never act irritated by questions and the staff should always be helpful. If there is any impatience or lack of concern…go to another doctor.

New parents experience a different world than what they were used to. It is an adjustment but the rewards are great and will last the rest of the child’s life. Just remember that the ultimate parenting baby book does not exist and to take it day by day and year by year. There is something new each day.

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