We all want what is best for our children. Hopefully they’ll be happy, healthy, and successful in whatever they choose to do. Obviously, you can’t guarantee that, but parents will always do their best to help make sure their kids have a good future. Of course, no parent is perfect, but it’s wise for us to always strive to be better for our kids. You can’t do everything right, but the effort to be better for them is worthwhile and can make a world of difference. It definitely takes hard work, so let’s dive into some ways you can become a better parent!
Boost Their Self-Esteem
It’s important for children to build up confidence in themselves and have a strong sense of self-esteem. They should know their value and be proud of their strengths. At the same time, it’s important for this self-esteem to be rooted in reality. So, help them build up their confidence, but don’t overshoot and turn them into a narcissist. Both extremes are bad, so work on finding that balance.
Reward Good Behavior, Don’t Just Punish Bad Behavior
Most of us remember growing up and getting some hefty punishments, especially people from older generations. It’s important to reprimand kids who do something bad, but don’t forget to reward good behavior as well. When your child does something great, or achieves a particular milestone, make sure you celebrate and encourage it! For example, if they’re kind or generous to someone they meet, at least make sure you acknowledge it later and make a point of letting them know how proud you are.
Set Limits And Boundaries
I think most parents acknowledge that boundaries need to be made, but many have a hard time setting them and sticking to them. Have a conversation with your spouse about if you need to, but make sure you identify some boundaries and rules you want to set, then stick to them. Kids need structure and discipline (to a certain extent), so it’s invaluable for some hard boundaries to be set – in any household.
Teach The Value And Reason Behind The Rule
A good idea when setting limits and boundaries is to explain to your kids why the rule exists. Just leaving it as “because I said so” can leave the kids feeling annoyed and like they can’t actually talk to you. So, sit down with them when you set rules and make sure you give them your reasoning behind it!
Make Time For Your Kids
No matter how busy you are, and no matter how many kids you have, you should always make them a priority and set aside time to spend with them. That means if you have several kids, you should do activities together as a family. However, you should also routinely have one on one activities you share with your children so each child gets that special, individual time as well.
One Activity A Day
I recommend doing at least one activity daily with your kids. It doesn’t always have to be one on one, but I’d make sure to do that regularly each week as well! In other words, set aside some time daily to do something with one or all of your kids. For example, every Wednesday could be a family game night – which could count as the activity for the day. Besides that, make sure each kid gets at least some personal time each week.
Adjust Your Parenting Style For The Child
This is something a lot of people forget to consider. You’ll have a general parenting style that’s unique to you. That’s normal and to be expected. However, you may have to adjust your parenting style a bit for each kid. It’d be amazing if there was a one-size-fits-all solution for parenting every single child, but that’s not the way the world works. So, with each kid just know that you may have to slightly adjust and tweak your parenting style to find what works and resonates with that individual.
Don’t Stop Communicating
We’ve gone over why it’s important to communicate with your spouse about various topics, like personal finance. It’s also important to learn to communicate with your kids. Don’t overcomplicate it – just find ways to connect and communicate with them effectively. A good way to help with that is to start listening to them more. When you pay attention when they voice their thoughts and concerns, it can be quite illuminating about them, their mental state, as well as your relationship with them.
Don’t Play The Comparison Game
I hate having to mention this, but it’s a must. Playing the comparison game will inevitably end with you feeling bitter. Obviously, we want to go from bitter to richer, not just get or stay bitter. Comparison is truly the thief of all joy, so if you have to compare yourself to somebody, compare yourself to your past self. That’s honestly your only real competition. As long as you’re making progress, that should be something to encourage you and help spur you on to a brighter future!
So, with that said, don’t compare yourself to other parents. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, so don’t be upset that some people are better at different aspects of parenting. Additionally, make sure you let your child know that they don’t need to compare themselves to anyone either!
Give Them Room To Fail
Sometimes it’s not helpful to be a helicopter parent. Kids will need space to fail on their own. Consequently, they’ll also need to learn how to pick themselves up. Again, this is another point where both extremes can be dangerous. If you never let them think or act on their own, they’ll never learn how to make their own decisions or recover from failure. Likewise, if you give them too much space, then you won’t have a connection with them and you’ll be unaware if they get into a bad situation and need help.
Encourage Creativity
Obviously, encourage them and their creative endeavors. It’s important to focus on their education and schoolwork, but it’s also wise to give them time to pursue other passions and interests. Also, if they have never-ending questions, do your best to answer them or get them in contact with someone who can answer them better. An inquisitive mind is a good thing – it helps them learn – so don’t discourage it!
Conclusion
If you have any other tips or suggestions for how to become a better parent, let us know in the comments! To stay up to date on articles like this, be sure to sign up to the Bitter to Richer newsletter. In our welcome email we send out a free budgeting template and financial goals worksheet – both of which can be useful to go over with your child.
