If you are a struggling parent, these six positive parenting tips should help you get back on track.
Firstly, you should remember that your children are children.
It's sometimes hard to remember that, especially if you have a corporate type job and are working long hours.
They do not have the life experiences that we have, and if they are very young still, they will not be able to relate to you unless you come down to their level.
Secondly, you should remember that they need a lot of love.
As they grow up and mature, they will need lots of love so they can feel worthy of trying new things as they are subject to them.
As previously mentioned, if you are a working parent, it is sometimes hard to remember to take the extra time out to show them love.
This is however, a vital part of their growing up process.
Thirdly, it is important to remember that because they are children, they need guidance and a schedule.
In other words, they are usually at their best when they have a fairly set routine.
This is especially true the younger they are.
This gives them the confidence to try things that are new, and the assurance that everything is alright with the world.
Fourthly, it is very important that you give your children positive reinforcement for the things they do.
In this world of everyone trying to be the best, we sometimes lose sight that our children are young and innocent still.
This applies especially when children are younger, and this should also be kept in mind as they mature.
Only you as a parent would know if your child is ready for constructive criticism.
And if it is given, it should be done so very carefully and lovingly.
Try not to be the parent that doesn't appreciate any of your child's accomplishments, and only wants to know what is the next thing that they will do.
This type of parenting, while it may push your children to accomplish things, tends to foster an attitude of never being satisfied.
There surely is a delicate balance that one has to strive for here.
Fifth on the list is that children really blossom when they have positive examples to learn from.
If your children are still young, you may think they don't understand the things you are saying or doing.
Even if they don't understand everything, they certainly pick up on vibes that you give off, especially if you are a negative person who sees the down side of things.
In other words, they are always watching what we do.
This type of an example for a child leads them to be pessimistic and closed-minded, which may hamper their abilities, and give them less choices and chances in life.
If you are careful to be a positive example for them, even when you don't succeed at something, they will learn some very valuable life lessons.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, you should learn from number five, and strive to be as open-minded as you can.
As we get older, many of us tend to get more and more narrow-minded.
This surely is a natural tendency because we have gone through some life experiences and have found that some things don't work for us, or we find that we don't believe in certain things.
However, we must be careful to not close ourselves off too easily.
Some things that might not have worked for us at one time, may work for us now.
Not only that, when we are open-minded for ourselves, that will be a positive message to send on to our children.