Being a parent is complicated, as every child has different needs, and this means that when we are doing something wrong, we may very well beat ourselves up about it. Sometimes, if we want to feel like we are doing a better job as a parent, it’s not just about the tactics that we try out with our kids, but it’s also about how we view ourselves. What does it really take to feel like a better parent?
Be the Person You Would Want Your Child To Be
We cannot underestimate the impact of how much our children learn from us. They watch everything we do and we are their primary link to the world, and how we respond to everything is going to influence our child. If we look in the mirror and we don’t like what we see, we can’t be surprised when our children start to embody those traits. If you feel like there is something about yourself you don’t like, whether it’s a skin condition like rosacea or you feel like you could lose a bit more weight, think about how you want your child to be and slowly work on feeling better about yourself based on your perceptions about yourself. It’s important to take action, especially if there are things about ourselves we don’t like. When our children are seeing us taking these positive steps, it’s a very simple message that they can do the same if they ever encounter an obstacle.
Teach Values
We need to set rules and boundaries but we have to remember that we are setting rules for the reason for our children to understand what is good and bad or right and wrong. When we set rules, children may find ways around them, which is why we need to make them understand why the rule is there in the first place. This means we’ve got to avoid the whole “this is my house” or “because I said so” approach to parenting. We’ve got to teach our children the principles we believe in. This doesn’t just help to keep equilibrium around the house, but it’s easier to hold our children accountable when they understand the reasons why we set a rule.
Trust your Instincts
We have to think about what’s best for our family and we need to avoid living up to other expectations. People will tell you how to do things, and when you start to follow what other people believe you should be doing, rather than trusting your own instincts, so you’ve got a lot of unlearning to do to get back to where you were. Having confidence in who you are is so important which is why learning to trust your instincts is so so vital for feeling better in your skin, but also so being in tune with your child and your family.
We all want to create the right family home so our family can thrive, and when we feel better in ourselves, this will invariably translate to our parental skills, but it will also result in a healthier and happier child.