Parenting Tips!

As I strive to be a more compassionate and in-tune parent, I realize that I have to actively be engaged in the process of loving and parenting with love all of my children.  I realize that I want them to be whole after our interaction, therefore I cannot do any thing that would bring them down.  Thus, some parenting tips that I have found which help me to lift them up.

1. Praise your children 10 times more than you get on them (correct them).

2. Model the character and response you want your children to develop.

3. Don't raise your voice or say put-down words, stay under control.

4. Humbly apologize when you blow it.

5. Lead by example, look for opportunities to serve those around you.

6. Turn off the TV and spend time as a family building special memories.

7. Be involved in your children's activities and go to church together.

8. Have heart to heart talks with each child on a regular basis.

9. Encourage your children to make wise choices and to choose wise friends.

10. Praise in public.  Correct in private.

All of these tips help me, as a parent, to remember that my child is first and foremost, a child of God.  My stewardship as their parent is to lift them up, even as their Father in Heaven would.

 

We are challenging ourselves to focus on praising our kids for good character, for Godly character.  As we do that, we find that we have a lot less trouble with correction when we are constantly looking for ways to praise them.  When we see them do a kind deed, we praise them publicly, but if we have to correct a behavior,  we correct in private, taking them aside so as not to humiliate them in front of other people.

By doing this, it really sets a tone in our home of peace and harmony and a joyful place to live.  In this way, the children don't dread coming home because they know it is place where they are going to be lifted up and encouraged.  

Always point them back to the reason they want to do what is right.  When you praise that character of kindness, they want to be more kind.  Every time they get an opportunity, they're going to look for a way to be kind.

Biting your tongue as a parent and saying, wait a minute, let me look for something good, will help tremendously.  Surely there is at least one thing that they did that was good!  Find the one thing, even if it is tiny and praise them for it.  By doing so, you are building character.  Learning to bite your tongue when you want to be negative and praising each other is contagious and then our children learn to praise by example.