Five Key Parenting Tools
There are five key parenting tools that will help you lead your child to success. If you study them and continue to strive toward making them work for your family, your child will learn the attributes he needs to succeed in life. Each key parenting tool leaves room for different family structures and cultural differences. Each tool has the ability to be tweaked to fit your uniqueness. Many of these tools wouldn't work without the touch of your parenting style.
Modeling is the basis of learning through observation. By learning more about modeling, you will be able to use this tool to teach your child how you expect him to behave. By definition, this means you will have to take a look at your own behavior. Modeling is part of the reason our children truly do make us better people.
There are many different types of communication tools available to parents, but the most important thing to remember is to communicate! Communicate daily—both verbally and nonverbally. Hugs and smiles are communication and children need lots of them.
Discipline isn't about punishment. It's the way you handle what is expected of your children and the choices they make. While discipline isn't something parents enjoy, it is a necessary part of parenting.
Successful parents become very good at problem-solving. They even become capable of solving more than one problem at a time. This ability is very useful because more often than not you will have to solve multiple problems simultaneously, especially if you have more than one child.
Family traditions are a parenting tool that we often take for granted. They show your child that she belongs in her family. She is a part of it. Having a sense of belonging will teach your child good character and the ability to love. Learn to use your family's traditions as an effective parenting tool.
More on: Values and Responsibilities
From The Everything Parent's Guide to Raising a Successful Child Copyright © 2004, F+W Publications, Inc. Used by permission of Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company. All rights reserved.
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