The Benefits of Positive Parenting for You and Your Child

Parenting is hard. It’s time-consuming and requires a lot of patience. But with an effective parenting approach moms, dads, and caregivers can foster overall positive development in kids. Positive parenting is one such style that has gained significant popularity. 

It focuses on appreciating your child’s strengths and positive behavior and guiding them to work on their weaknesses. It is a gentle but firm way of parenting that helps in building a healthy relationship between parents and their children.

Ways to Practice Positive Parenting

Be present for your child and give them the attention they need.

Being present doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time with them. Of course, your kid wouldn’t complain if you can shell out a few hours to be physically present with them to play and connect. But if that’s not possible, make sure you send this message to your child through your actions that you will always be present to listen to them and help them out whenever they need it.

The Benefit:

This helps in building trust between the child and the parent. The child is aware he/ she can reach out to you at any time without having to worry about anything.

Encourage open communication at home.

Communicating with kids effectively is essential in a healthy parent-child relationship. Talk to your kid about everything under the sun, including emotions such as anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, etc. Encourage them to share their feelings as they would with any trustworthy friend. This will keep the communication open between you and your child.

The Benefit:

Your child will no longer hesitate to share with you what’s going on in their mind. They will be willing to discuss with you any matter knowing that you will be a good listener and a good guide to them if needed.

Respect your child and their feelings.

Just like you would want your kid to be respectful towards you and other people, positive parenting emphasizes respecting your child and the feelings they deal with. Dismissing how your child feels can leave them feeling lonely and misunderstood, which in turn can affect their mental health. Getting the same respect as any other individual will help in building your child’s self-esteem. When kids are treated in a certain way they tend to reciprocate the same with others.

The Benefit:

A child treated with love and respect tends to respond in the same way. There are higher chances that your kid will be understanding and will behave appropriately when told to do so. Thus, reducing the chances of negative behavior.

Let your child know what’s okay and what’s not.

It is imperative to communicate clearly with your child things that are okay and acceptable in the family and things that are not. Expecting kids to understand what parents expect out of them without letting them know is not fair. And this should not be a one-time process. Keep reminding your child with a kind but firm voice every time they go wrong to allow them to learn from their mistakes and correct themselves.

The Benefit:

The child knows the behaviors that will be appreciated and the ones that will be not. It will encourage them to choose what is right. Disciplining without yelling or demeaning will encourage your child to be more accepting towards the rules set by you for the family.

Appreciate and reinforce positive behavior.

One of the prime requirements of positive parenting is to stay positive and reinforce good behavior in your child. Never miss a chance to pat your child’s back if they have done something worth appreciating.

The Benefit:

Focusing on the positives helps in raising the self-esteem of both parents and kids. Parents feel good about themselves and their parenting, while the child feels more confident and valued. Thus, creating a positive environment in the household.

Lead by example.

Don’t expect your child to behave in a certain way when you can’t do it yourself. Kids tend to behave the same way they observe their parents throughout their childhood. If you stay calm and positive, rather than angry and frustrated, your kid will pick that up from you. In reality, it is not possible to never lose your temper in front of kids, but that’s the challenge you need to take as a parent. Parenting is not easy, after all! Try taking a break or go to your room for a quiet time when you feel you are losing it and come back when you are in control.

The Benefit:

The more positive behaviors you display in front of your child, the more chances they will adopt it into their lifestyle. Showing them how to stay calm in difficult times is also a life lesson that kids need to learn.

Practicing the positive parenting tips discussed above will help you to connect better with your child. Just like, healthy habits you teach your kids for a healthy lifestyle, this approach will teach your child important life lessons for the future.