Parenting has to be one of the most rewarding things that anyone can ever do. It is a thankless job, but one that constantly challenges and brings you pride and joy into all areas of your life.
At times however there will be moments when as a parent you despair. You will not know what to do, where to turn or how to cope.
But let me reassure you that at times we have all felt like that. And it is not your fault. How is any one meant to know how to deal with difficult situations if they haven’t been given the skills to get through it?
Well you can’t! And so here, in this article, we are going to try to give you some of the skills that will help you get through even the toughest of days.
Consistency has to be THE word of parenting skills. Without it all your weeks of hard work are destroyed and both the child and you as the parent are left feeling confused and terribly frustrated. Yet implementing the rules in which you will be consistent in is a difficult and onerous task.
The best way to apply consistency is to associate them to your general life rules. Your child will inevitably learn right and wrong and get there sense of morals from you as a parent. But you have to be consistent with this. If a child gets in trouble for hitting another child when unprovoked, then you must discipline the child in the same manner when hitting another child when provoked.
One thing to remember when disciplining your child is that for every negative comment you make, you need to make four positive to counteract this. This is because we all hold on to negativity and tend to ignore any positive things people say. Children are the same and I am sure that you want your child to recognize all their achievements rather than be aware of all the things they can’t do, or think that you are mad at them all the time.
There is no way that all the skills you will need and develop as a parent can be discussed within one article and so here is a list of the better parenting books which explore many skills in depth. These are a great help when parenting, as after all, children don’t come with an instruction booklet (shame!).
The Creative family by Amanda Blake Soule
The Vaccine Book by Dr Robert Sears
How to Talk So Kids will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
The River Cottage family Cook Book By Amanda Blake Soule
These are just a few of the best books that I have come across in my search to ease the pressures of parenting. There is a wealth of books that help out there, just waiting to help you.
