Family Parenting Tips Part 2

Many aspects of raising children do not have one definitive way to
“do it right”, but here are some healthy guidelines for making lasting memories and encouraging the development of a balanced and secure child.

The essentials of demonstrating LOVE to your children….
Kids spell love, TIME, so set aside a large quantity of kid focused time in your schedule for regular one-on-one time with your kids. Make this commitment a top priority and make sure it is QUALITY TIME as well as quantity time with your child.
Three vitally important character developing things you can do that will show LOVE to your child and make a lasting impact on the life of your child:
1) Affirmation-building them up, speaking encouragement into their life in private and in public. Even when they disappoint you, disobey you or fail at a task, encourage them with words that affirm your love for them. Separate their disobedient behavior from their character. When our kids “slipped up or messed up” we disciplined them appropriately but afterwards spoke words of blessings and affirmation to them to reassure them of our love. My husband told them on a regular basis that “There is nothing you can ever do to make us stop loving you!”
2) Appreciation-recognizing the unique character traits and temperament that your child has and celebrating and acknowledging how grateful you are that they are your child. Catch them doing things right and reward them with positive feedback and extra little acts of kindness and special treats. Spend extra time doing things with them that they love.
3) Affection-loving hugs and pats and appropriate physical demonstrations of affection fill their love tank and build security. Children need love and affection.

I heard a great speaker on the radio yesterday list a simple breakdown of the parent’s primary role in the life of their children organized by age. I will save the details of what these concepts entail for a later post but here is the list for now.

Birth-6. Training
6-12 Teaching
13-19 Coaching
20-adult Friendship

There are so many blessing that come as a result of all the hard work that goes into child rearing. Be encouraged and be consistent. It is WORTH IT!

What aspects of child rearing are a blessing for you and what aspects are challenging?