Parenting is a topic that drives deep emotion, raises key questions and unique to every family. To different people, parenting means different things. While there are no set rules, official handbooks, school or special classes that teach parents about good parenting skills, it is a skill that can be learned and mastered. Parenting skill is not something you discover or you are good at, it is more of practicing your responsibility as a parent in a loving but practical means.
Good parenting skills play the biggest role in the development of a child. It officially starts when you gave birth to your child. As a parent, your best teacher is actually your daily experiences. Most parents would agree that raising children require a lot of patience, trustworthiness, nurturing, humor and guidance. However, how and when to apply these skills is something most parents learn through practice.
Parenting skills also differ. Some are very innovative and caring while others are firm and total disciplinarian. It is important to also know that a parenting skill that works for one child may not work for another as every child is unique, and moods and situations change on daily basis. You don’t have to worry. Parenting skills do take time and are not developed and/or enhanced over night. As your child grows, you also grow in dealing with them. However, there are some parenting skills that are very crucial in an effective and good parenting. They include:
SELF CONTROL
Showing self control before a child does two different things: It shows a child how to manage their emotions and act accordingly; It protects a child from possible abuse that occurs when short-tempered emotions drive a parent’s actions. By learning to control your personal behaviors, you are already giving the child the tools they need to ascend to a responsible adulthood.
FOCUS
With lots of distractions in our world of today, parenting a child requires focus. As a parent, we need to pay attention to our children, know their whereabouts, address their needs, wants and also assure their safety. By so doing, we can recognize those things that ought to be done to effectively raise them.
YOU MUST BE INVOLVED
Parenting is a social behavior, and the most significant social interaction you can have is with your child. Be involved with their life, know their friends and talk to them on daily basis. Doing this in a positive way makes the child understand that you truly care about them. Although teenagers, in particular may dislike your interference, but do not stop. Always tell them that love them and that your interest in everything they do is your parental responsibility. By developing the above important parenting skills, you can adapt your unique parenting approach to every child.
Conclusively, while self-help books and your parent or friend’s advice are available for you, there is no blueprint for parenting. As said earlier, experience is the best teacher. However, it is essential to also seek advice from respected and reputable parents. There are also some experts in parenting that you can contact. Contact California Counseling group for more details on parenting skills.