
Raising children can prove to be difficult and strenuous. Many parents feel, at one time or another, that they are parenting incorrectly. There are many places that you can find parenting tips that can help you along the way. Friends and family are excellent sources for tips, many of them have experienced the same problems and they all offer unique insight. Many religious leaders also are great people to turn to, they deal with many problems that many people experience and can provide tremendous help. The internet also contains many places that you can search for tips; forums are designed to promote conversations among struggling parents. Books and articles are also great and are often backed by research that proves how effective or ineffective their theories are.
For children of any age there are many different parenting tips that apply. However, there is one tip that is great for a child of any age. Be mentally prepared to meet the needs and demands of your child, give them as much time and attention that is necessary. Following this tip may seem simple but as your child becomes older it may prove harder. Two things that will assist you in meeting that tip are providing your child with genuine love and teaching them respect and guidance. These two things will increase your parenting ability more than any other thing will. Children are not easy to raise but with love and respect it will make the experience easier for you and your child.
Maslow, a popular theorist and psychologist, created a hierarchy of needs that every individual needs to function and grow properly. This hierarchy applies strongly to parenting and can be applied while giving parenting tips. If you are able follow the hierarchy then you are on your way to becoming an excellent parent. Every level of needs must be covered before an individual can move onto the next level. If one level of needs are not met then your child will struggle and will be unable to proceed up the hierarchy. The first level in the hierarchy is physiological needs. Here, the most basic of needs are covered; breathing, sleep, food and water. Next comes safety needs; shelter, resources, family and healthy living conditions. These fist two levels should be met from the time your child is born, until they leave your home. These are the basics in parenting. The next level is love, this should also be met constantly throughout your child’s life. Every child needs to know they are genuinely loved by their parents. Meeting these first three levels will allow your child to truly progress throughout life. The next level is esteem, parents should build their child’s self esteem so that they are confidant with their abilities. The last level is actualization, if your child constantly has all of these things they will have a realistic outlook on their life as it applies to your family, and their other environments.
Following the hierarchy of needs will ensure that your family has a functioning relationship with your child and vice versa. Even for those who are following this outline, problems will arise. However if all needs are still being met they will be easier to resolve for both parties. When your child’s needs are all met they will truly know that you genuinely love them and that you strive to assist them in every way possible. This feeling will create a strong bond between parents and child which will allow them to work together throughout life and the problems that will arise. This parenting tip can do wonders for every family.
The next essential parenting tip is guidance, your child will learn what they live. You need to not only teach your child what is acceptable and what is not, you yourself need to live it. No matter how many times you tell your child something, if they see you do the opposite then that is what is acceptable to them. Respect is an obvious part of this category. If you do not respect your child then they will not learn to respect you or others. Do not expect your child to do what you cannot. Your expectations need to be reasonable when you consider then environment in which you live.
While following these simple parenting tips may sound simple they can prove to be hard. However, as you continue learning and growing with your child they will prove to be helpful in all stages. Be sure to visit our parenting info section of our site located off the top navigation where you will find lots of articles on subjects from every day family life, learning tips to green living.