Family Parenting

The family plays a crucial role in any child's development, especially in the formative years. Parents would do well to be there for the kids and show love and appreciation to the little minds. Family parenting involves spending quality time with the children as a unit, so as to bond together and create happy memories for the kids. Each one follows his parenting style. Take some parenting advice on disciplining kids.

Family parenting

Child disciplining is an important topic with most parents. Disciplining is a tight rope between laying down the rules yet not being harsh. The right disciplining strategy can shape a child's development as well as the relationship between parent and child. The best parenting advice is to listen to your child - what seems like little things to us may mean a lot to him.

Creating a communication channel with your kid in the early years forges a line of communication during the teenage years. Family dinners are the ideal time for communication and problem solving.

A parent needs to blend in praise and discipline. Praise helps in building the child's self esteem. Disciplining techniques that bring shame or belittle a child can have harmful effects on the child. Let it not become a power struggle between you and your child. Respect for parents and authorities are the fulcrum for self-discipline and healthy growth. Disciplining measures need to change as the child grows.

Parenting tip

As the child grows older, it becomes necessary to teach the kid to make knowledgeable choices and become independent. He must take responsibility for his actions. Parents have a difficult role here - they have to loosen the apron strings or else the child will never know how to think for himself. Yet at the same time, the parent must set good values so that the child is aware of the boundaries and limits. Here are a few parenting tips that can go a long way:

• Sharing your values with your child. This is something that happens without any conscious effort at imparting. Every day you are setting an example with your actions.
  
  
• Sharing important activities is crucial to forging an attachment with the child. Complimenting the child's efforts can go a long way in improving his self-esteem. Involve yourself in your child's activities.
  
  
• Do not underestimate the power of touch - your smiles, cuddles and kisses can envelop your child in a world of warmth and affection.
  

Parenting advice

Every parent has seen and survived a temper tantrum thrown by the child. This is a way of expressing childish anger and frustration. Many a parent is vexed at the child's reaction and is left unable to handle it. This must be correctly tackled. The best parenting advise for a kid tantrum is to stay calm and ignore it to the extent possible.

Yelling or spanking can be detrimental since it might worsen the behavior. For tackling childish tantrums at home, a simple parenting advise would be to let the child safely by himself for some time till he calms down. Tackling tantrums in public is by far more difficult. It is difficult to grit your teeth and bear the tantrum with cool glares from passersby and a few snide remarks too.

Parenting style

Psychologists have seen how the parenting style influences the development of a child in many ways - its social interactions, its responses and growth. Parenting styles play a major role in influencing, teaching and controlling children. Indulgent parenting style is also known as a permissive parenting style. Such parents are lenient and avoid any sort of confrontation. A permissive parenting style was popular in the 1950s when children were encouraged to avoid inhibitions and non-conformity was encouraged.

Though this parenting style sparked a sense of creativity and originality in the kids, it also led to aggressive patterns. Authoritarian parenting style is characterized by highly demanding and directive behavior. Such parents lay down clear and unbending rules. Misbehavior comes in for strict punishment.

In contrast, authoritative parents are demanding as well as responsive. They are assertive but not restrictive. Such parents are generally assertive but their disciplinary measures must be supportive and not punitive. Misbehavior must be tackled with appropriate consequences and problem solving. An uninvolved parenting style means that the parents are not responsive or demanding of the child in his behavior. This can sometimes border on neglect.

Today's changing environment demands a lot out of the parent too. It becomes essential to set clear limits for children lest they feel confused and insecure. It is up to parents to raise children to accept responsibility, make wise choices and cope with change.