There are two good parenting books I've been reading this semester Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn and The 10 Basic Principles of Good Parenting by Laurence Steinberg. I suggest both of these books in preparation and help in parenthood.
There are three types of parenting. Autocratic, which is control oriented. Often these parents will say “Because I told you so.” Permissive parenting has few rules or standard of behavior and when there are rules, they are often very inconsistent. Authoritative parenting, which is active parenting, firm and friendly and “I’ll be your mom before I’m your friend.” With all of these parenting styles, I think that it is most important to treat them the way you would want to be treated. Steinberg says, “You’ve known your child his entire life. The very least you can do is treat him as respectfully as you would treat someone you are meeting for the first time.” It is extremely important that we treat even our children with respect. He goes on to say “If you treat your child with respect, you will make the rest of his life a whole lot easier. He’ll find it easier to make friends. He’ll find it easier to be successful in school and at work. He’ll find it easier to have a happy marriage. He’ll find it easier to be a better parent to his own child.” Showing respect can impact an individual’s life greatly.
I also believe that it is important that families shouldn’t’ have a lot of rules. Children need to learn by the mistakes they make. It can be hard for parents to sit back and watch their children make mistakes but that’s how we learn. God gave us agency and we need to exercise it.
It is important that we be firm and friendly in parenting. I know, two totally different words, but we must find a good balance. It is also important that you give our children love and show they physical touch like a hug. The need for contact is important. There’s something about physical tough that connects people together. We all need a hug once in a while right! You can never get enough love, right?
There are three types of parenting. Autocratic, which is control oriented. Often these parents will say “Because I told you so.” Permissive parenting has few rules or standard of behavior and when there are rules, they are often very inconsistent. Authoritative parenting, which is active parenting, firm and friendly and “I’ll be your mom before I’m your friend.” With all of these parenting styles, I think that it is most important to treat them the way you would want to be treated. Steinberg says, “You’ve known your child his entire life. The very least you can do is treat him as respectfully as you would treat someone you are meeting for the first time.” It is extremely important that we treat even our children with respect. He goes on to say “If you treat your child with respect, you will make the rest of his life a whole lot easier. He’ll find it easier to make friends. He’ll find it easier to be successful in school and at work. He’ll find it easier to have a happy marriage. He’ll find it easier to be a better parent to his own child.” Showing respect can impact an individual’s life greatly.
I also believe that it is important that families shouldn’t’ have a lot of rules. Children need to learn by the mistakes they make. It can be hard for parents to sit back and watch their children make mistakes but that’s how we learn. God gave us agency and we need to exercise it.
It is important that we be firm and friendly in parenting. I know, two totally different words, but we must find a good balance. It is also important that you give our children love and show they physical touch like a hug. The need for contact is important. There’s something about physical tough that connects people together. We all need a hug once in a while right! You can never get enough love, right?