Parenting Tips

Often times new parents struggle to effectively parent their child because children have different needs and personalities. Just like adults, everyone has different methods of learning and communication. With adults, it is easier for them to communicate their thoughts and feelings verbally, but with children, this can be difficult. Parents must not only understand their own personality, which plays a large factor in their parenting style, but they must also be attentive to their child's personality in order to help them navigate life.

Here are a few tips from experts on how to best parent your children…

Establish Unity & Consistency

One of the most important things when parenting is to establish unity between the two parents. This unity creates consistency for the child and helps avoid conflict. No two parents have the same parenting style, but they need to work together smoothly to benefit the child and the household relationship. Jen Pollard, a community mentor, and family development coach says, “Parents must also give the child consistent expectations of what is and is not allowed in and out of the household. If one parent says throwing a ball in the house is ok, but the other parent does not allow this, the child is left confused. Children need clear and concise rules.”

Learning Styles

Anita Gurian, Ph.D., a clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine says, “Parents who are sensitive to their child’s temperamental style and can recognize the child’s unique strengths will make family life smoother.” There are three types of learning styles, visual, kinesthetic and auditorial (Markova, 2015). Everyone has one main learning style and it is important for parents to help their children figure out their learning style so that they can best help parent them. Some children learn better through seeing pictures and charts, others need to be moving or interacting with the material through games or physical activity and others learn best while listening. For example, some children need to be told multiple times to do a task to help them stay focused and on track, while others need to be shown how to do the task.

Listening to Your Child

It is also very important to listen to your children. Parents who do this welcome the thoughts and opinions of their children which makes for a better household environment (Morin, 2019). These children grow up feeling comfortable sharing their ideas. Even though children can often say the same thing over and over, the simple act of listening makes your children feel valued and heard.

These three tips can help you become a better parent, but they also lay the foundation for establishing your parenting style. Take note of these three things during the week and come back to the Haven House Kitchen on Thursday to learn about the four types of parenting styles!

#ParentingStyles #ParentingResources #GoodParenting

References:

Markova, D., & McArthur, A. W. (2016). Collaborative intelligence: Thinking with people who think differently. New York: Random House.

Morin, A., & Lcsw. (2019). Strategies That Will Help You Become More Authoritative to Your Kids. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/ways-to-become-a-more-authoritative-parent-4136329

Morin, A., & Lcsw. (2019). Your Temperament Affects the Way You Parent Children. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-a-parents-temperament-influences-parenting-style-1094783

Your Child's Temperament: Finding the Right Parenting Style to Match. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.parentmap.com/article/your-childs-temperament-finding-the-right-parenting-style