Being a parent is hard but oh, the delight our children bring us! The smiles, giggles, innocence and wonder…children are our treasure! Each child is special and unique and come with their own needs, personalities, and desires. While parenting is a joy, it is also hard work and a challenge. Sometimes, finding a solution to a situation with our kids can be difficult. There are so many theories on child psychology and child rearing that parents searching for tips for parenting can feel overwhelmed and begin to question their own beliefs.

But while there are so many different tips for parenting and raising your children, there are a few tips for parenting that should always be practiced. Of course no parent is perfect or ever will ever be perfect, but what we can do as parents is continue to move forward and learn to hone our skills as parents in order to raise healthy and happy children.

There is not one right way to raise children just as there is no such thing as a perfect parent or a perfect child. But here are some guidelines to help your children grow up healthy and happy that you can implement today.

Tips for Parenting #1: Show Love

Children need to be shown and told they’re loved. Each and everyday, numerous times a day, tell your children you love them. Take them in your arms and hug them, kiss them, and tell them how special they are to you.

Tips for Parenting #2: Praise

Children need to know you recognize when they do something well. When you catch your child doing something good, tell them you are proud of them and that you notice how wonderful they are.

Tips for Parenting #3: Listen

It is so important our children are heard. Even if they are wrong or unreasonable, listen to them. It doesn’t mean you give into them, but listening tells your children you think they are important and you are interested in their feelings and what they are saying.

Tips for Parenting #4: Show Your Children They Are Safe

When your child is scared or hesitant, give them comfort and let them know you are always there to protect them.
Tips for Parenting #5: Structure

In order to feel safe and to learn boundaries, children need a regular schedule of meals, naps, bedtimes, and other activities. Try posting a schedule where your children can view it as well as making clear the family rules and what consequences will take place should they break those rules.

Tips for Parenting #6: Consistency

Family Rules need to be clear and consistent. Both parents must enforce the same rules and it must be done all the time.

Tips for Parenting #7: Discipline

When you discipline your child, criticize the poor behavior and not the child. For example, do not say, “You are a bad boy!” but instead say “Hitting your sister is not nice and is not acceptable.” Then follow up with telling your child what to do instead of the bad behavior.

Tips for Parenting #8: Devote Time to Your Kids

Spending time with your kids is crucial in order to create a bond of trust and love. Do activities together that your children love such as reading, going to the park, taking a walk, etc. Oftentimes, bad behavior is an attempt to get the parent’s attention so be proactive and devote plenty of time to your children each and every day.

Tips for Parenting #9: Show Love

I say this again to reiterate how important it is that our children know they are loved. When your child’s head hits the pillow at the end of the night, if nothing else, they should know they are loved and cherished.

Co-parenting may not come naturally to you, particularly if you’re a high-conflict couple or you’re still recovering from the nastiness of a divorce. Divorced parents need to make a concerted effort to keep their conflicts with each other separate from their relationship as co-parents to their child.

Every year, 1 million U.S. kids become children of divorce. In settling child custody issues, their parents are likely to hammer out co-parenting agreements – committing to working together to raise their kids in spite of a divorce or separation. But co-parenting has its challenges. In the second part of our series of occasional articles on co-parenting, we look at how to make the transition from separated couple to parenting team.

Working together to help your child grow into a happy, confident and well-adjusted adult is something that all parents should aspire to. But it’s not something that comes easily to newly divorced or separated parents, or even to parents who were living apart in the first place.

It takes hard work to craft a “”co-parenting”" relationship that enables parents to cooperate in a way that benefits their child. As separated or divorced parents, you choose to live apart because you can’t see eye to eye on many things, and it’s unreasonable to expect that you’ll be able to immediately step away from all of that and become a cheery, friendly, co-parenting couple.

It can take months or years to forge a new relationship as parents together. But no matter how long it takes – or how difficult it is – finding a way to cooperate together as parents ultimately does pay off.

Keep your child uppermost in mind

Divorce or separation is devastating for children. It’s normal for them to experience anger, sadness, helplessness, fear and withdrawal.

8 cardinal rules of co-parenting

In order for co-parenting to succeed, there are some important rules that all co-parents should follow:

1. Do not use your child as a go-between.

2. Do not discuss your feelings about the other parent with your child.

3. Always remember that your child needs time with both of you to grow up healthy and happy.

4. If possible, never argue in front of your child.
5. Be flexible whenever possible.

6. Think of parenting time as benefiting your child, not you or the other parent.

7. Envision yourself and the other parent as a team.

8. If you are the residential parent, include the other parent as much as possible.

It is impossible for you as a parent to fully protect your child from the impact of the divorce. Your family has changed, and you have to expect that your child will need time to adjust. But the way that you and the other parent handle the change of a divorce, and the years following it, has a huge impact on the kind of experience it is for your child.

The purpose of your divorce was likely to end the fighting, to improve how you both feel, and to create happier lives for everyone. If you go through the divorce, only to continue arguing and fostering unpleasant feelings toward the other parent, you haven’t made a lot of improvements in your family’s life.

You can’t give your child proper support and attention if you and the other parent are always focused on what the other is doing wrong, or if you continue to dredge up bad feelings from your relationship as a couple.

Developing a new relationship that is low-conflict, pleasant on the surface, and routine will help your child relax and begin to feel more comfortable with the new arrangement. You will be able to focus more directly on your child’s needs. Your child will function better if she knows that there are two parents united behind her.

Learn how to think

Learning to co-parent means making a mental shift in the way you think about the other person. This is a person who has undoubtedly hurt you, let you down, insulted you, or worked against you in your relationship. It may seem like a tall order to set that aside and smilingly co-parent together.

You need to mentally compartmentalize your relationship with the other parent. In one room, put all of your feelings about him or her as your partner or spouse. All the hurt and anger from a divorce goes behind that door. You can go into that room whenever you need to, to work through those feelings.

In another room goes your relationship with this person as a parent. In this room, there is a table where you can sit and work together to create a good life for your child. On the walls are photos of your child in happy moments. This is the room you must place yourself in mentally when you are dealing with the other parent in a parenting situation.

This compartmentalizing is something you must commit to doing. It may be hard to sit in one room in your mind, while you know that the other room is next door. But you must direct your attention to cooperating and welcoming the other parent into your child’s life so your child can have the benefit of two parents who are reasonable, pleasant and accommodating to each other.

It is true that there is no rule book for parents. New parents learn the art and science of parenting by watching others. Sometimes, they go to experts to get their problems solved. Parents of toddlers experience different kind of problems. How to potty-train them, how to address bed wetting problems, how to bring them on the normal diet chart and many such questions keep them worried.

There are many types of parenting classes being offered by different organizations all over the country. Parenting workshops equip you with essential parenting skills to raise a healthy, happy and responsible child who can enrich the family as well as the society with their positive contributions.

Once you enroll into parenting classes you get to meet other parents. This gives you a wonderful chance to share your experiences with them. Exchanging ideas can be quite beneficial for all parents.

Parenting classes help parents learn a lot about:

• Nutritional needs of babies, children and teenagers.
• Feeding schedule

• Bed wetting

• Discipline problem

Good parenting coaching is supposed to make you ready to tackle your children in a better way. The classes offer plenty of articles, audio tutorials, tips and magazines to enhance your parenting skills. Once you are through with it, you would know how to tackle specific problems.

Finally, the parenting coaching helps you find the solution that you were looking for. At the end of the session you become experienced enough to address many common problems associated with family life and child care.

Good communication between parents and caregivers in the early childhood setting is very important.  Both parents and caregivers have a goal of providing children with the best learning and growing environments.  Caregivers should strive to create trust between the parents and themselves so they can work together for the good of the children.

Creating trust between parents and caregivers involves using an open communication system that benefits the children, parents and caregivers. Caregivers are better able to help children learn when they communicate with the parents about the child. They learn from the parents about each child’s family, culture, home life, and language.

In the early childhood setting, we communicate with parents for a variety of reasons. In all our interactions with parents, we should create a positive and trusting environment by being respectful and honest.

After parents have decided to enroll their child, seize your chance to get to know them and encourage them to become involved in the classroom or at the facility. Greet parents at arrivals and dismissals. Make parents, who may be uncomfortable with the school environment, feel at ease.

Tell parents about yourself and your goals for the children in your class. Let them know when you are available for meetings with them. Explain the child care facility’s policies and answer any questions they might have. Inform them of any special events.
It may be hard to communicate with parents who have long work schedules. You may not

even see many of these parents because they send another relative or a close friend to transport the child to and from the facility. Other parents may find it hard to get involved in special activities because of an evening work schedule. Keep these parents informed of classroom happenings and special events through written notes, telephone or email communication.

We communicate in various ways and with many different styles. When we practice methods of positive and open communication, we can get to know parents and encourage them to build a partnership with us. Children, parents and teachers all benefit from the partnership.

Learn more about encouraging parent communication. Visit ChildCare Education Institute to discover over 100 online child care training courses that meet the continuing education requirements of the child care industry.  Register for a sample course and try online learning today!