The act of parenting goes beyond the reproduction of young ones. It has to do with being involved in every aspect of a child’s development and growth. The alarming rate of increase in the perpetration of heinous crimes such as kidnapping, rituals, cybercrime, and others boils down to the lack of effective parenting in our society.
What Is Effective Parenting?
Typically, the primary goal of parenting is to raise decent kids, but there is no one right way to do it.
Apart from the physical birth of a baby, every other part of the body reproduces. It is also amazing that even our minds, like our bodies, can reproduce lofty ideas and thoughts., therefore, upbringing and parenting, we want you to delve into the steps/strategies to take when raising a child. To get a positive result, it is advisable to guide them on values and personality.
Parenting is said to be the process of nurturing and supporting, the general wellbeing of a child from infancy to adulthood. it is a lifetime job, and this is why one needs to be deliberate about one’s choice of becoming a parent because, the task is a daunting one.
Parents, especially Nigerian parents, want to raise their kids in a morally right way. They want to raise smart kids who are also God- fearing.
Most of these parents for instance, are known to be strict and the “No- nonsense “ type who have learnt distinctive parenting tips from their own parents.
Qualities Of An Effective Parent
Communication
The need for effective communication between you and your child cannot be over emphasized. You should build up a strong bond with your child such that they see you as the best person to speak to whenever the need be. You should not become so busy that you don’t create time for one-on-one discussions with your kids.
Children who have parents who don’t have time to communicate with them often fall prey to the wrong hands in the public space.
As a parent, the best gift you can give your child is communication, where you listen without criticizing and in the long run you are gifted with the trust of your child.
Trust
As a parent you need to earn the trust of your child. Children have their peculiarities.
This means that what you do to gain the trust of one might not work for the other child. So, you need to discover how you can gain the trust of your child.
Make your children see you as the number one person they can trust with their little secrets.
To gain the trust of your child, you should not judge them or be the first person to nail them to the cross for their mistakes. Rather you should constantly remind them that you will always be by their side through thick and thin.
They Love Their Children Unconditionally
Your love for your child shouldn’t have strings or limits, nor should your child feel like he needs to work for your affection. Highly effective parents make it clear that, no matter how many mistakes a child makes, they’ll always be there.
They provide support, guidance, and love as their child grows. And they watch that child become a happy, responsible adult—and that’s the overall goal of parenting.
Don’t reserve praise for the times your child is perfect. Instead, praise his willingness to try hard or his desire to try again after he fails. Make sure your child knows that your love for him doesn’t depend on his achievement or success. Instead, show him that you love him no matter what
All humans respond to love regardless of the age. Your children should always be assured and reminded of your love for them. All you do for your child must have love as its basis even when you intend on correcting them for their wrongs or excesses. You don’t necessarily have to beat a child to correct them.
In a bid to show love to your kids, you can get them gifts to celebrate them even when it’s not their birthday and reward them for their little successes. A child that love has been communicated to from a tender age will find it easy to reciprocate love to others.
They Read To Their Kids
This goes hand in hand with talking to your child more often. Reading aloud exposes your child to new vocabulary, teaches new concepts and allows him to immerse himself in new worlds.
They Spend Time Together
Throughout your day-to-day life, you spend plenty of time with your child, right? After all, you go through the morning routine, your commute to school and work together, you eat dinner tonight, you tuck them in at night.
However, none of this is true quality time, which a child needs with a parent in order to thrive. Aim to set aside 10 to 15 minutes each day to give your child your undivided attention to do an activity of his choice.
Play a game, play dress up, or run around outside. Giving your child plenty of time-in will likely reduce the amount of time he’ll spend in time-out.
Your Child Needs Independence
As early as 2 years old, a child is learning to make her own choices (and she’ll often be very vocal about them!) As she grows older, those choices are going to have more of an impact.
While you don’t always have to agree with those choices, you should respect them (as long as it doesn’t jeopardize your child or another person in a significant way, naturally—use your judgment on that). Recognize that just because she doesn’t do things the way you might do them, doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.
