1. Your child is your first priority
Most parents have a busy schedule and they have family and work priorities which are competing for attention. It is important for a parent to differentiate between important tasks and urgent tasks. Spending time with your child may not be urgent especially if you have a nanny, but it is of ultimate importance. In some cases, one may be forced to make career sacrifices in order to spend quality time with their child. It is a tough decision to make but it is worthwhile. I know parents who have quit their well-paying jobs in order to raise a child. Most of them will tell you that it was one of the best decisions they have ever made.
2. Love your child unconditionally
The first person that a child interacts with is the parent. It is the responsibility of the parent to show unconditional love to the child and encourage him or her to be confident. Confidence is the most important trait in every human being and it is better cultivated since childhood. A parent should make the child feel valued by spending quality time with them. Tell your child a story, read them a children’s book or even listen to them tell you stories. This provides a great bonding for the parent and the child and it serves as an act of love. Listening to your child and appreciating what they feel about something helps the child’s self-esteem to improve. Compliment them when they do something good with different gifts and discourage them when they do something bad. Complementing and discouraging should both be done with love.
3. Build a strong team at home
Naturally, parenting is not a man affair. It should be a team work for the mother, father, and others. However, mother and father are most influential people of the life of the child. While mothers are known to offer emotional needs to a child, fathers, on the other hand, are known to independence and self-assertiveness. They let the child do things on their own. These two aspects of both parents are healthy for the child as it enables them to develop an all rounded character. Both the father and the mother must agree on the rules of the house and how to discipline the child. This will create an enabling environment for the success of the team. Single parents should look for a member of the opposite sex to fulfill the role of a father or mother figure for the child. This could be a trusted friend or family member.
4. Discipline systematically
Children have a tendency to behave badly especially if they are not corrected. A parent must set rules that separate right from wrong. The rules need to be crystal clear and consistent. It is important to punish your child consistently when they do something wrong. However, never punish your child when you are angry. Always wait until you are calm. Discipline is not always punishing the child; it helps reinforce positive behavior and courtesy.
5. Teach your child to be responsible
A child needs to be taught that they are responsible for the decisions they make and the outcomes of such decisions. This will also teach them that happiness is a choice they have to make and it does not depend on the circumstance they are in. Parents should delegate certain tasks to their children according to their age. Assign them chores at home and let them go about them freely. If they ask for guidance regarding a chore, gladly guide them with love.
