Parenting 101

Let me start by saying, what I'm about to share is strictly my observation, experience and opinion. I am a parenting expert of my children, not yours. Furthermore, with all due respect, this post excludes parents and/or children with disabilities.

Parenting has drastically changed over the years. Yes, times are different, technology has evolved, and the older generations have had to pick up the pace to keep up. More options, more money, more excuses, more health concerns, more churches, more consumerism, more food consumption, more homelessness, more comparisons; more, more, more. It has always been my belief that too much of anything is never a good thing.

Parenthood comes in many forms; and if you are honest with yourself, you know exactly which one you are. For those in denial, well that’s a different post for another day. Let’s continue. When you become a parent/guardian, your life is no longer solely about you anymore. Children are at the mercy of each, and every choice we make. Housing, meals, health and wellness, religious beliefs, social interaction, morals, values, behavior, hygiene practices, etc. Most young children learn through repetition and many will mimic constant exposure and what they see; not always what they hear.

Quite often the way we raise our children stems from our own childhood and the type of relationship we have/had with our parents. Whether you are that helicopter parent, who struggles with personal anxiety or that parent who demands perfection because your parents did. Is it possible that you are the passive parent, who prefers to be your child’s “friend” to avoid conflict; or the enabler, who is overinvolved/excessively helps with everything? Either way, parenting has its rewards and challenges. It’s not for the weak, selfish or quitter.

Parent/guardianship is a major role; that should be taken more seriously than our “To Do List”. You can’t simply put a check next to it and then move on to your next goal in life. We have a responsibility to teach, provide, protect, and prepare our kids for their future; even when life gets tough and we don’t feel like it. With a vast selection of Parenting Tools literally at our fingertips there are simply no excuses for “poor parenting”. Remember, your little bundle of joy will grow up and eventually become an adult or an old child. Which would you prefer?