It’s natural for a parent to want to give everything to their children. The bond between parent and child is incredible, and the feeling of love a parent has is immense. Because of the desire to give their all to the role of mom or dad, many parents are unsure of what they should focus on to raise emotionally healthy children. Which begs the question – how can you be the best parent for your children?
The Importance of Balance
It is important that you provide a good balance of both care and discipline. There are times where tough love is required, and this is essential for raising well-rounded children. Kids need to experience mistakes, and learn from them, as that is an important part of life. You may want to make everything perfect for your child, which can cause disciplining them to be difficult. It’s also incredibly hard to see your child make mistakes and resist the urge to swoop in and save the day. However, balance is critical for a child to become successful, independent, and to learn how to survive in the world.
At the same time, to be the best parent to your children you must provide unconditional love. Children need to feel loved and cared for to feel secure and happy. Giving your children love and affection provides them with confidence and raises their self-esteem. Most importantly, it gives them a sense of belonging.
Physical affection is important for many reasons, the main ones being it shows love and makes children feel special. Other ways to show your love can be through encouraging and positive words. Being part of a loving family that radiates positivity is good for everyone.
Give Time and Attention More Than Stuff
Good parents give uninterrupted, quality time to their children whenever they can. This time is essential for bonding and creating happy memories as well as promoting self-worth and a feeling of importance. The activities you do during this time don’t need to be extravagant, as it is more about spending time together than what you’re doing.
Work together
Whatever you’re doing together during quality time should require that you work together in some way. While reading in the same room together is nice, reading to each other or doing an activity that requires you to engage with each other is even better.
Give praise and acknowledgment
Suppose you choose to play board games during this time. Giving support and encouragement will go much further than fighting and name calling. Remember, your children are still growing and developing, and they will often strive to impress you. The more they are rewarded with praise for their achievements, the more they are likely to put in all their effort to do their best.
This goes for anything else they are doing on their own as well. From schooling to individual activities, a parent’s support is crucial to their child’s happiness and confidence. How you speak to them as they grow up can have a massive impact on their esteem and self-belief.
It’s not about the material possessions
Looking back on your childhood, odds are you don’t remember what you received for birthdays and holidays as much as you remember time spent with your parents. You remember how they made you feel. The best parents give love, understanding, time, and patience.
Bottom line – you don’t have to spend a lot of money to be a good parent. And, a new toy or trinket won’t replace the void that a child feels when you use stuff as a substitution for time together. What really helps children thrive and become wonderful independent, self-sufficient, confident, well-rounded individuals is the nurturing and care, and quality time, that they receive from their parents.
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