Parents lacking basic parenting skills are not hard to find in your community. You may have seen them in public with their children not dressed appropriately for the weather, or maybe at a restaurant at 11 p.m. eating while their toddler is with them. Some people have never been taught basic parenting skills and are taking care of their children the way that their parents took care of them. The cycle can be broken by teaching these parents the primary skills that it takes to raise healthy and happy children.
Provide Physical Needs
Humans have basic physical needs that need to be met during each stage of life. These needs include food, sleep and clothing but, depending on how old the person is, these needs differ. A newborn is going to require a confined area to sleep, the proper seasonal and size of clothing, and to be kept where adults can hear her if she cries. Proper parenting involves knowing and meeting these physical needs throughout a child's life.
Discipline
Setting boundaries and having consequences, to reinforce rules, is an important part of raising a child. This is a skill that takes practice and knowledge. Research age-appropriate discipline methods and set an action-consequence plan. Refer to this plan whenever your child is in need of discipline and stay consistent. This allows for times of discipline to be an opportunity to learn in a calm environment.
Be Positive Role Model
Parents are children's first role models. Children watch and learn how their parents treat people in their lives, how they speak, what they value, their habits and their work ethic. Kids take this information and develop their value systems based on their parent's example. It is imperative that you live how you want your child to live and you treat others well so that your child will learn respect.
Patience
The hardest parenting skill to develop, and keep through your child's life, is patience. Parenting can be challenging and, combined with the pressures of daily life, being patient with your child can seem impossible at times. It is important to remember that your children are going to push their boundaries and they will break your rules but they will only learn if you react calm and rational.
Educating Children
Education begins long before a child enters formal schooling. Parents provide the foundation of a child's learning from the time he is born. Children who have parents that are willing to read to them and work on learning fundamentals will have a head start for when they enter the school system.
Set Routine
Children find security in a routine that they can count on. Setting a routine will lessen behaviors because your child will know that certain events, such as bed time, occur at a designated time each day without interruption. Children who grow up in environments without a routine have difficulty when they go to school or work and are expected to adhere to a schedule.
