Ten Terrific Tips for Positive Parenting

Parenting takes work, but great parenting means investing time, love, attention and patience into your relationship with your children. Whether your child is two or twelve, the same tips for parenting apply:

1. Routine: Most people, especially children, thrive on routines. They give children a sense of security as they know when they can expect things to happen. Good parents create basic routines for their day, and more specific routines for parts of the day like bed time.

2. Have regular conversations: Part of being a good parent means talking to your kids. Talk to them, they ask their opinion and they listen to them. It’s also critical that your children know they’re being heard and that their opinion matters.

3. Family time: One of the best things you can do to be a positive parent is to spend time with your children as a family. Establishing family time doesn’t mean they can’t have friends or do other things but rather it means making sure that quality family time, such as dinner together, is part of every day.

4. Right and wrong: Teach your child right and wrong, give them values to abide by and uphold and help them learn, and live by, their moral code. This will help them throughout their life.

5. Take care of yourself: An important part of being a good parent is learning how to take care of yourself. You can’t help your children be healthy and happy if you aren’t. Make time for yourself by having bath time, cocktail hour with the girls or a designated workout time.

6. Know your child: Gut feelings and dealing with your child on their level are very important parts of parenting. What works for one child, inspires one child or makes one child behave, may not work for another. Just taking the time to get to know your child and what makes them tick is far more important than any book or seminar on parenting.

7. Be around: A great way to become a better parent is to just get to know your child better. If you know your child well, you will know when something is bothering them, when they aren’t acting normal and when that feeling you have is simply heartburn. When you are around them frequently, it’s much easier to spot changes.

8. Play, don’t watch: Teach your children to play. Give them toys, blocks and time outside so that they learn how to entertain themselves and explore. When they are not dependent on a DVD player for entertainment, they’ll have a great chance to learn and grow more.

9. Healthy habits: Positive parents help their children develop healthy habits, from food choices to an appropriate bedtime, from a young age. Teach your child proper nutrition by planning health meals and make time to teach your child what is good for them.

10. Teach them: The more your child is taught, the more they learn. The more they learn, the more they know. The more they know the more confident they are, and this will positively affect many other aspects of their life.