10 Tips For Better Parenting

Never lose your temper with your child. It can be difficult to always keep calm when your child is crying constantly or naughty. However, if you lose your temper you will lose total control of the situation and this will help no one.
Keep to a routine. It is good for babies and children if they get up at the same time every day, eat their meals at the same time and go to bed at the same time. Doing this from the beginning, as much as you can, will help babies to sleep through the night and feed better.
Have a set of ground rules and stick to them. It is important for everyone in the house to be aware of the rules. This avoids different adults having disagreements over rules which can be very confusing for a child.
Do not hit or smack your child unless absolutely necessary. It is hardly ever necessary to hit a child. You should never hit a child so hard that it leaves a red mark.
Accept all the help you are offered. When you first have a child it is tempting to try to do everything yourself. It is easy to misjudge how hard it will be, especially when they are waking up every few hours, day and night. If friends and family offer to help you then make sure that you accept their offer, do not be afraid to have a quick nap while they cuddle the baby and cook a meal.
Keep the child fit and healthy. It is important to make sure that a child has a healthy balanced diet and also does some exercise. Children tend to be naturally active and so it can be quite easy to encourage them to play games that will keep them running about or take them for walks.
Do not go bankrupt. It is very easy to be tempted to buy your child lots of expensive gifts. It is very expensive buying all the necessary things for a baby and you may find that you need to go without some luxuries to afford them. Make sure that you budget carefully.
Make time for your partner. It is very important to make time for your partner. It is very easy to spend all of your time with the baby and forget that there is another person in the relationship.
You need to be loving and supportive to each other as well as the children.
Make time for yourself. Sometimes people need some time when they can be alone. Even if the children are in bed, you are still switched on listening to see if they wake up, so try to get some alone time.
Enjoy yourself. Make sure that you enjoy the time that you have with your children. They are lovely things to be around and can be a source of lots of joy.

Parents as Teachers?

Is the title even appropriate? Is it right to weigh one against the other? Could one actually separate teaching from parenting? As parents, as teachers, or even as mentors, it is our obligation to impart knowledge to the individuals under our care. When issues pertaining to education and schooling arise, there are three salient options: private, public, or home schooled. Of course each possesses different methods of learning, different set of rules, and different state of affairs. Enrolling your child in either a private or public school does not connote that your duty as parent and as a teacher will be relinquished and be handed over to the school administration. School teachers are not babysitters and home school workbooks cannot replace the value of learning through actual interaction and communication.

In the parents as teachers and teachers as parents scenario, often times there lies a struggle between the notions of the parent and the teacher. The former usually assumes that once their child has been accepted to the school, it is only fitting that they relegate their duties and responsibilities on the shoulders of the teachers. In simple term, the parents attempt to evade such acts, acts that are part and parcel of parenting. However, there are those parents who just cannot stay away from the curriculum implemented by the school. This pertains to the demanding parents who frequently visit the admin office requesting various alterations for the reason that their child is not excelling.

As for the teachers, the typical tag line is, ‘it’s the responsibility of the parents.’ Again, there are two sides in every situation. There are also teachers who step out of bounds like the subject on sex education. If this back and forth motion continues, the children will end up having anything but education. This is one key issue that must be addressed promptly.

Whatever the matter may be, fact is, your parents are teachers, they will always be. From the time way back when you’re still in diapers to the time when you’ll be reaching your prime—they will always be your teachers. One can never actually sever parenting from teaching, it goes hand in hand.

Teaching requires more than the basic reading, writing, and understanding. Parents as teachers must realize that education does not rely solely on books, on what the media portrays, or on what the community dictates. Remember that teaching also indicates parting ideas of life, of love, and of compassion.

Overprotective Parents: Shackles of Burden?

This topic has been on the debate table time and time again. Was this the result of clingy parents, societal dictation, or out of control youth? Take your pick, it can even be all of the above. It is but logical that parents worry about the safety of their child. But preventing your children from watching the news for you’ve labeled it as too violent or not allowing them to interact with the opposite sex for such may lead to inappropriate behavior, these things are borderline ridiculous. And this could simply be classified as acts of overprotective parents.

A drunk son, unexpected pregnancy, and bloody violence; these will certainly send shivers to the spine of every parent. However, had the son been allowed a sip of wine or a can of beer every now and then, wouldn’t this be a more fitting preparation? Had the daughter been aptly educated with regard to the so-called taboo that is sex and the value of purity and abstinence, she wouldn’t have gotten into such mishap. And lastly, how can one protect oneself against the angst of the world if all his life he was concealed in a protective bubble? It should be noted that sometimes, the four walls of your abode is not thick enough to keep the dangers away. Furthermore, isn’t it better for your children to face the dangers head on rather than to watch them cower in fear for the rest of their lives? This fear may be one of the consequences of having overprotective parents.

Being a parent, it is but normal to look after your children and make certain that they are always out of harm’s way. But this does not mean locking them up until they are forty. If the parents raise their children with their values intact and with fear of the Almighty, then there is no reason to be overprotective.

Children do want their freedom, though they are also in need of a stern figure, one who can get them back on track. Putting your foot down and being a parent will prove helpful, just don’t overdo it to the point of suffocating your children. Having overprotective parents can produce both good and bad effects. It really depends on the degree of protection and security imposed on your protégés.