Steps to Active Parenting
As parents, we have numerous responsibilities. Responsibility starts at the point of conception and lasts the rest of our days. As a parent, it is imperative that we practice active parenting. Many parents have sat on the sidelines and allowed their children to learn skills and lessons on their own. While this can be beneficial in some cases, overall, it has been found that it is not beneficial to all cases. In this article, we will expound on steps to active parenting.
An active parent is a successful parent. Parenting involves much more than providing things of monetary value like shelter, food, and clothing. It involves instilling values and important skills in your children. Parents should take an active role in teaching children important life skills. The active parent also teaches their children other skills that are important to their overall well-being and success, like responsibility, cooperation, and other values. The first step to active parenting is to understand that this is our responsibility. The second step to active parenting is developing a system to where we teach our children these important skills and values.
Active parenting really focuses on teaching children responsibility. Parents should enforce this necessary skill and value as much as possible. Teaching responsibility can begin at a very young age. Parents can do any of the following, and more, to teach the skill and value of responsibility:
- Have children participate in cleaning up after themselves. Initially, a parent can assist with this task, but by age four, a child should do this on their own.
- Have children learn to take responsibility for their actions.
Parents can enforce this skill and value by letting children know when they have done something unacceptable, and then teaching them the acceptable way of doing things. A child should not be punished the first time for a mistake, but taught how to correct that mistake. A child must learn that, when they err in their ways, they should always accept the fact that it was their mistake, and learn ways to overcome those mistakes so that they do not experience them again.
- Children should be taught basic hygiene skills. This is a very important part of being responsible. They should know and understand how to wash their hands, brush their teeth, brush their hair, dress themselves, and tie their shoes, bathe, and other things.
An active parent teaches their child how to work as an individual, and how to work as a team. It is vital that children learn both. Active parenting will teach the child that this is a necessary part of life, and will work hard to teach children. The child of an active parent will understand that there are some things in life that should be done individually, and some things that require teamwork.
Active parenting is very important, regardless of who you are, where you come from, and/or how you got there. There is absolutely no substitute for active parenting. There are many online resources for steps to active parenting. If you need more suggestions, or would like to learn more, you can find a wealth of information online. You can also talk with others that are practicing active parenting.
