Parenting Tips – Being Consistent As A Parent
Being a parent is an everyday project for the rest of your life. Your job as a parent is to care, nurture, guide and steer your child in the right direction. Consistency is part of the project and will pay dividends in the long run.
What is consistency?
Consistency is not the same a being tough or harsh. Consistency is when you do the same things over and over again. In regards to parenting children you need reasonable rules and stick to them, no matter whether your child throws a tantrum, uses their charm, smiles, cries or says ‘Please mummy, just this one time!’ This will result in well-behaved children.
Setting ground-rules
Before embarking on a journey of being a consistent parent you need to set rules and boundaries for your kids. Boundaries include things like:
- What your child is allowed to do and where
- What kind of behavior is expected and allowed
- What your child can play with and when
These points should make it clear where you draw the bottom line but you want to state it in a positive way, rather than saying: ‘You’re not allowed to this, and not allowed to go there, you don’t do this and never play with that.’
Negative statement cannot easily be processed, meaning the brain works in pictures and therefore make a picture of all the things you don’t want. Rather let them imagine what it is that you DO want.
Reasonable and appropriate
Make sure your rules are age-appropriate and reasonable. If you’re unsure, check with other parents with same-age children. If they’re unreasonable you will most probably experience frustration and rebellion in your child.
Explain your rules in words that are understandable for your child, depending on their age. Have them repeat them back to you and ask questions, if something is unclear.
Breaking your own rules
If you don’t stick to your words, you will suffer the consequences. Your child will quickly get that you sometimes change your mind and that you might overlook certain things. Especially teenagers will hold you accountable to those times when you haven’t kept up your rules.
Changing rules and boundaries
As you child gets older and more responsible you will have to adjust and update your rules and boundaries. Explain to them why you change them, especially if they might be different to those of their siblings.
Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago. – Bernard Berenson
Source by Nathalie Himmelrich
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
