The few pertinent questions that many parents have is how to be good to their children and take care of them? How do we deal with children and raise them to be self-reliant and decent human beings? The answer to both these questions is good parenting.
Good parenting instills honesty, compassion, self-control, self-respect, happiness, and cooperation in your child. It ultimately leads to the child being mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy and saves them from the cruel vices of society as they embrace adulthood.
To better understand good parenting, we bring you 4 ways to take good care of your children.
Design a Healthy Routine and Diet Plan for Your Child
In order to ensure that your children are physically and mentally healthy, they must have a good routine and a healthy diet.
A good routine should involve both outdoor and indoor activities for the children. Outdoor activities may involve going to the park on alternate days or playing catch with them in the backyard. Indoor activities may include play-dough, coloring and drawing, etc. These activities strengthen children cognitively and have a beneficial impact on their personalities.
In addition, we’ve often heard that you are what you eat; this cannot be truer. Children have nutrient requirements that are to be catered to. Any deviation from a healthy diet can lead to malnourishment.
It is also important to provide a healthy environment for your children. For instance, don’t use any material in the house that consists of asbestos, leading to mesothelioma later on. You can get more information about it at mesothelioma support. The better the environment, the better the health and well-being of the children will be.
Be a Role Model for Them
hildren always copy what you do, and hence their actions are often a reflection of you. Instead of reprimanding them when they do something wrong or inappropriate, try doing what you ask them to do.
The best way to teach them the right way of behaving is by showing them what to do.
If you want your child to clean up after playing with their toys, clean up after you’re done with your work. They’ll follow you and imitate your actions.
If you want your child to say words like “thank you” or “please,” then the best way of doing so is to say these words in front of them in situations where they are demanded.
As a parent, you could say thank you to your child whenever they do something nice for you. They’ll follow this routine religiously once they are validated after saying these ‘magic words.’
As human beings, we learn by copying those around us, and this innate trait is very sharp when we are young. As children, we take in everything around us and often imitate those that spend the most time with us. Hence, it is important that you are on your best behavior when you are around your child and avoid doing anything that you do not want them to learn.
Be their role model, and be who you want your child to be. Be respectful and kind towards them to instill values like empathy and compassion in them.
Boost Their Self-Esteem
Children develop a sense of self-esteem as babies, and the degree to which they possess this quality is directly dependent on how their parents treat them. Your body language, voice, and sense of belongingness are directly reflected in your children’s personalities.
They look up to you, and your actions and words validate their self-esteem. It helps in their healthy growth as individuals. Praise their big and small accomplishments, and let them do children-friendly activities independently; this will help them develop a sense of self-reliance and strength.
Be compassionate and empathetic, and try to understand what will boost their self-esteem. It will help you make a strong bond with your child.
On the other hand, comparing your child with someone else’s or belittling their achievements will lessen their self-esteem and make them feel small and insignificant.
Avoid phrases or actions that can hurt your child as they might hinder their confidence and development.
Set Boundaries and Encourage Discipline
Discipline is a necessary part of every healthy household. The goal of setting ground rules and boundaries is to let the children know about acceptable behavior and actions. It also helps them develop traits like self-discipline and self-control.
Keep in mind that children aren’t always complacent and will try to push against the boundaries you set for discipline. The best way to deal with this is to put your foot down because, unlike them, you know how important those roles are for turning them into good and responsible individuals.
Rules like TV from 6 pm to 7 pm or no ice cream before dinner help them understand your expectations from them.
To emphasize the importance of these rules, look for ways to keep the system in place. You could establish healthy punishments for the children that will not affect their self-esteem in any way but help them understand that you did not appreciate a certain action that they did.
If the children learn self-discipline and self-control, they will become good members of society later on. Moreover, not only will they become an asset to society, but they will also excel in their academic and professional life.
Bottom Line
Parenting is no easy feat; you will have to strive hard to become better at it. It will test you and often tire you out. The best advice we can give you is to take breaks when you feel like you can’t take anymore and learn to develop a healthy relationship with your child.
Parenting might be hard, but it is also incredibly rewarding. You will reap the rewards of good parenting when your children grow up, become good state citizens, and care for those in need while excelling in professional life.
Hope this article is of help to you.