Basic Principles of Good Parenting

“There is no more important job in any society than raising children, and there is no more important influence on how children develop than their parents.”

Are you constantly searching the latest on parenting to make sure you are doing everything exactly right? It's time to relax.

Most psychologists will admit that while the perfect parent just doesn’t exist Most parents are pretty good parents.

Basic Parenting Principles

1. What you do matters.

Always ask yourself: What effect will my decision have on my child?”

2. You cannot be too loving.

It is simply not possible to spoil a child with love. What we often think of as the product of spoiling a child is never the result of showing a child too much love. It is usually the consequence of giving a child things in place of love—things like leniency, lowered expectations or material possessions.

3. Be involved in your child’s life.

Being an involved parent takes time and is hard work, and it often means rethinking and rearranging your priorities.

4. Adapt your parenting to fit your child.

Make sure your parenting keeps pace with your child’s development.

5. Establish and set rules.

Any time of the day or night, you should always be able to answer these three questions:

What is my child doing? Where is my child? Who is with my child?

6. Foster your child’s independence.

Setting limits helps your child develop a sense of self-control. Encouraging independence helps her develop a sense of self-direction. To be successful in life both are needed.

7. Be consistent.

If your rules vary from day to day in an unpredictable fashion, or if you enforce them only intermittently, your child’s misbehavior is your fault, not his. Your most important disciplinary tool is consistency.

8. Avoid harsh discipline.

Never use harsh punishment as a means of discipline.

9. Explain your rules and decisions.

What is obvious to you may not be evident to a 12-year-old. He doesn’t have the priorities, judgment or experience that you have.

10. Treat your child with respect.

You should give your child the same courtesies you would give to anyone else. Speak to him politely. Respect his opinion. Pay attention when he is speaking to you. Treat him kindly. Children treat others the way their parents treat them.