Friday, January 6, 2012

Some New Year's Parenting Tips

Thoughtful parenting begins with the commitment to never stop learning new strategies to improve your parenting skills. What kind of parenting style you use is up to you, but every parenting style can be more effective with the addition of fresh ideas. Take a look at the practical advice below.

Often times it's easy to give a lot of attention to your kids when they are acting out. They demand attention through their negative behaviors at home and in public. In order to stem this trend of tantrums, start giving more energy to the positive moments. Feed into the desired behaviors instead of the discouraged behaviors, and watch your kids bask in the glow of confidence while their poor behavior subsides.

The best way to punish children is take away privileges. This will teach them that doing something they shouldn't do will cause them to have toys or maybe even the television taken away from them. Also, do not rule out putting your child in timeout. The general rule for timeout is one minute per age your child is.

TIP! To foster an environment where reading is encouraged, make sure a child is surrounded with books from a young age. For infants, have books with mirrors and textures that they can enjoy without language skills.

While having children will completely change your life it is important not to become obsessed with them. Most people will probably love your children as much as you do, but if your life starts to revolve around them you may find your friends become quite annoyed with you and your lack of attention.

Allow your child to share information with you free of interruption. Take the time to let your child talk to you in a quiet place, and always give your undivided attention. Encourage your child to come up with their own solutions to problems, but always be prepared to offer help if they need it. Once a child knows that their voice is heard, and their opinion matters, they will be much more likely to open up to you in difficult times.

Don't try to make your child grow up too early. There is a growing trend to allow little girls to wear makeup and provocative clothing from a young age, and this is encouraged in part by the entertainment industry. However, your daughter has many years ahead to be an adult so allow them to be a kid for as long as possible.

TIP! If your child is being bullied, talk to them about it. Have family members share their own experiences with bullying and how they handled it, and make sure to support them unconditionally.

If your child comes to you with a problem, help him think of some solutions instead of solving the problem for him. When you guide him in solving a problem, he will develop a very important skill which he will use again and again as he is growing up. Giving young children practice in solving their own problems will make them stronger individuals.

When reducing your child's television and video game time, make sure you are creating other fun activities to choose from. Play boardgames with your children; play outside with them; or go somewhere fun outside of the house, like a park or a play area. Whatever you do, make sure you provide options to your children.

When you are traveling with your baby, be sure to set up your room as soon as you arrive at your destination. The closer the set up is to your room at home, the more comfortable your baby will be. This will help keep things as calm as possible during your stay.

As mentioned above, no matter what parenting style you choose, you can make it more effective when you seek out new ideas. The key to thoughtful parenting is to recognize that you can always use fresh ideas to make sure your parenting skills are right for you and your child.