Parenting

To be parents is very challenging. Rearing our cherished possession can be a source of happiness and fulfillment but may sometimes be a source of heartaches. As parents, what can we do to care for our family or to improve in rearing children? I guess there is no easy way to be a successful parents. We have to face hardship in disciplining our respective children for them to be become a better individual.

I read an article entitled, SEVEN STEPS TO BETTER PARENTING, the advice is very reliable. I hope these steps will also be of help to you.

STEP 1: Seek Good Advice
A better way to seek advice is found in the Word of God

STEP 2: Create a Loving Home

Have a regular and quality time together as family to developed and maintain the love within (No TV watching please!). Tell your child or children that you love them and that they are important. It is also very helpful that married couples must spend time together alone to keep the romance in the marriage.

STEP 3: Exercise Your Authority
This involves discipline. Be authoritative yet loving. This means that parents need to be supportive of their children yet maintain firm limits. Not too lenient not excessively harsh.

STEP 4: Define Family Rules and Enforce them Promptly
Have a simple and short written household rules that we feel our children need to obey. Review such rules regularly and explain that punishment will come in if refuse to comply. Make sure that the punishment is reasonable and we are willing to enforce it.

STEP 5: Establish and Maintain Routines
Establish a habit to eat one meal a day together and discuss day's activities or laugh together.
While children are very young set a regular and firm bedtime. Such bedtime must be pleasant. Create a relax bedtime such as telling your child what you did while they are at school and ask them if they want to tell you some of the things they did in school. Or we can also read to them.

STEP 6: Acknowledge Your Child's Feelings
Allow children to pour out their positive and negative feelings. After they pour out, correct the negative feelings. This will help develop trust between parents and children. Parents should not always or habitually contradict their children's feelings. Otherwise, children will start to doubt their ability to feel and think of themselves or will not open up their true feelings.

STEP 7: Teach by Example
Words oftenly imparts information. Actions teach. This does not mean that parents should act perfectly, rather, strive to be good. If we fall short like making a bad decision which affected the chilren, never hold back from saying "SORRY". We, parents, need to apologize if we made a mistake. This will help the children to apologize when they make mistakes.

There you have it!