Every parent would be excited when their child is born. They would want to be a good parent who brings up their children in the best possible way. However, this is not so easy and involves many challenges. Parenting is more challenging today than before. A good parent is one who is prepared to take on these challenges.
To help you bring up your child in the right way, we have a guide for you. This guide is for parents who want to raise a good child. Go through the tips given below and follow them. You can be a more effective parent.
Tips to bring up a child well
1. Be happy to bring up a happy child
If you want to bring up a happy child, then you need to be happy. When you are happy, then the happiness becomes infectious. Studies have also shown that happy parents bring up happy children. Show your happiness by keeping a smile on your face. Laugh and spend quality time with your kids. This is a good way for you to be happy and make your kids happy. Indulge in fun activities at least once a week. This will help you bond well with your child.
2. Teach your kids empathy
If you want your child to be good, then teach them empathy. Let them enhance their emotional quotient by being empathetic to others. Teach them early on how to understand and respect the feelings of others. Tell them how important it is to know what someone else is feeling. Do this by first helping them to understand their feelings. When your kid learns to empathize with others, they become better persons.
3. Don’t focus too much on rewards
Rewarding your kids when they do something good is a common practice adopted by most parents. However, this can become counter-productive in some cases. Your kids may start to expect rewards every day. They will then associate good work with material results. This is why you must offer rewards sparingly. Only when they do something exceptionally well, give them a reward. Let them understand the importance of rewards and why they got it.
4. Ensure consistency
You need to be consistent in your behavior with kids. If you behave differently in the same situation, it can be confusing. It would make them behave differently when the same situation occurs. When you are disciplining kids, you need to ensure consistency. When you pardon an offense once, do not punish them for the same offense again. Consistency will make your kids learn discipline in a better way.
5. Teach them good manners
A good child is one who is good mannered. Teach your child good manners when they are young. Most importantly, you need to be well-mannered. The child will learn more from your behavior and actions than your words. So, you need to exhibit good manners yourself. Tell your kids to respect others. Teach them the importance of phrases like ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’. A good way to illustrate the importance of good manners is to tell them stories about them.
6. Give them respect
If you want your kids to respect others, you need to treat them with respect. You must discipline your kids when they go wrong. But you should not disrespect them. When you interact with your kid, show them respect. You should be aware of the tone with which you speak. Ensure your tone is polite, and your behavior is friendly. This will help your child pick up similar traits.
7. Let them be more responsible
If you want your kids to learn to be responsible, then give them responsibilities. Make them understand what being responsible means. You can start by assigning small jobs to be done at home. Tell them they are responsible for doing the job. Praise them when they do the job well. Let the kids know they are contributing to the house by doing such chores. This will help them be more responsible.
8. Boost their self-esteem
It is very important that you boost self-esteem of your kids. Regularly praise your kids for the good things they do. You need not rewards them for everything, a word or appreciation makes them feel good. It helps boost their self-esteem. Especially, when they do well at school be profuse in your praise. Be very careful handling them when they make mistakes. Let them understand the mistake and its implications. Let them know that making a mistake is not a problem, as long as they learn from it.
9. Spend quality time with them
A good parent spends a good amount of time with kids. Whatever may be your pressures at work, do not miss out on quality time with kids. Every day, devote at least 15 minutes where you can sit with your kids and talk with them. Tell them what all you did and ask them what they did. Let them talk about what they did at school. Let them share their accomplishments with pride. Encourage them to talk about their failures, their worries, and anxieties. It will help strengthen your bond with them. This, in turn, will make them trust you and respect you.
10. Be flexible
You should avoid being rigid. Once you adopt a style of parenting, don’t assume it is perfect. Be prepared to change your style. You must also avoid having unrealistic expectations from your kids. Do not pressurize your kids with your expectations. It can become a burden that weighs them down. Be ready to change as things around you change.
11. Give them unconditional love
When you love your child, you develop a deep bond with them. This makes them respect you, and they will do what you say. It is the best way to raise a good child. The love and affection you show your kids must be unconditional. Never create a situation where you show love only if they do what you say. Let them know you always love with them, but use discipline to help them correct themselves.
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