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According to parenting expert Cleare, “Great parents make mistakes but they try to learn from them (and not to repeat them too often!).”
No matter your parenting style, you can’t do much if you’re overworked and exhausted. That means that looking after yourself is priority number one. If you put yourself last, you’re not doing your kids any favors, Cleare told Bored Panda.
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“Even when you are really busy, try to find regular 5-20 minute breaks in your day when you can relax, practice some mindfulness, or do something joyful,” she said.
“Looking for the positives really does increase positivity,” the parenting expert added, suggesting that we try to maintain positive mindsets by being grateful and thinking about, for example, the 3 things that we’re glad to have in our lives.
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Meanwhile, Lenore Skenazy, the president of the Let Grow nonprofit that aims to promote kids’ independence and fights overprotection, explained to us that children’s confidence grows when they know that others believe in them.
“A teacher, coach, grandparent, or, of course, parent who thinks you are terrific and ready to wow the world can make all the difference in the world,” Skenazy said, pointing out that when the support’s not there, it can have negative consequences on the child. So it’s important to balance support while also letting kids develop their independence.
According to Skenazy, how a parent tells their kids something is often more important than what they tell them to do. Kids take cues from grownups, so even phrasing something differently or using a different tone can have positive effects even if the topic that’s being talked about is far from pleasant.
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“The best way to make sure that a child starting out in the world feels like their parents believe in them—rather than simply being fed up—is for the parent to make it explicit!” Skenazy explained that this is how parents can communicate to their kids that it’s time to be more independent.
The expert also highlighted that telling the child that you’ll always love them, even though they’re becoming more independent is a healthy, mature way of communicating with them. However, that relies heavily on the parents themselves learning to loosen their grips on their kids and setting the bar for their expectations lower (which, maybe counterintuitively, leads to healthier, happier families).
So, dear Readers, what did you think of this list? Were there any pics that made you go, “Wow, that’s enough internet for me today?” Where do you think the line between being a good and a bad parent lies? What’s the best way to avoid drama on parent groups on social media? Share your thoughts and feelings in the comment section below. And remember, stay excellent!
