Before having children, simply moms and friends it is very important to determine how discipline will be handled. If you have obedient kids from a young age, it will be easier to teach them to be responsible, agreeable adults. Read this article for some tips on how to parent effectively and positively impact your children’s lives.
Praise your children often! If you ‘catch’ your child doing an appropriate behavior, tell him how proud you are. Children love positive words and praise. Hearing kind words will help your child to feel good about himself and will cause him to continue trying to do good things to receive more praise.
Don’t force your child to study only one subject at a time. Studies show that humans learn better if they study two or more subjects at a time. This gives the brain a short period of rest to absorb material, and our brains also learn more effectively when subjects are integrated.
In order to be a good parent, you must not watch every single thing that your child does. This will smother them and only push them further away. If you give them some freedom, they will in turn put more truth into how they are feeling and how they are living their life. This way, the children are less likely to rebel.
If you are having difficulty giving your toddler their medicine, try mixing it with chocolate syrup. This will make your child want to take their medicine instead of putting up a fight. You can also try placing OTC medications in the refrigerator. Your toddler will have a hard time distinguishing the taste of the cold liquid, making them more likely to take it without fussing.
Invest in swaddling blankets for your babies. Swaddling replicates the feeling of security that a baby had in the womb. For a newborn, this may be one of the only ways that they will feel comfortable enough to sleep. You can search online for videos on techniques for a proper baby swaddling.
The number one, most important tip about parenting has got to be that you must be there for your child. Children need and want your physical presence as well as your listening ear. If your child knows that you are right there to listen to their needs, it will go a long way in strengthening your relationship.
When birthdays or other gift giving holidays come around, instead of taking your child shopping, help them make a present. Not only will your child get to be creative and give a unique gift, but you’ll get to spend quality time together. This is especially good if the present is for the child’s other parent or another relative.
A great parenting tip is to start letting your child wear what he or she wants to wear at an early age. If you continue to pick out your child’s outfit everyday, kids at school will start to make fun of him or her, which will hurt your child’s self-esteem.
If you choose to adopt, be honest with your child about his biological family. Adopted children are naturally curious about their birth parents and even why they were adopted. At some point, they will come to you for answers to their questions. When discussing his or her biological family, you must never lie. In the end, this could lead to anger and resentment.
Parents, you have homework to do prior your child’s first day of school! Before the first school bell rings, be sure to make school seem like a fun place to be. This will help to ease their fears of being in an unknown environment. For example, try coloring on a piece of paper and then tell your child this is what they will be doing in school.
Your marriage is just as important as your children, so take good care of it. You need time together as a couple to ensure that you keep the passion alive, so make sure to have a date night once a week where it’s just you and your spouse. The kids will be there when you get home!
You should try to share your hobbies with your children to see if you will share some common interests. If they do not like the things that you like do not be upset with them. Always remind them that they are free to have their own thoughts and feelings about things.
One of the best solutions to taming an unruly teenager is to go to counseling with them. Counselors are trained to deal with bad behavior, so they are the best one to go to in order to get advice on what you can do to improve your teenager’s behavioral issues.
It can be hard to say “no” to children, but sometimes it is necessary to teach them life lessons. Establishing rules and punishments as well as adhering to them will allow your child to know boundaries. If you teach your child right and wrong at a young age, the lessons will serve them for the rest of his or her life.