Top Three Parenting Tips For New Parents

Posted on February 27, 2008
Filed Under Parenting

by LISA DAVIES
Bringing a new baby into the world is an amazing experience and welcoming him or her into your family can give you a feeling of great joy. Joyful as this period in your life maybe it can also be one of fear and anxiety as becoming a parent for the first time brings with it a great deal of responsibility. Well meaning friends and relatives will probably offer you a ton of advice - some of it conflicting but if you bear the following three things in mind you shouldn’t go too far wrong.

Parenting Tip One: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

Let’s start with a reality check here - no one is perfect - least of all parents. You will make mistakes but you and your child will get over them. There will be days when you might say the wrong things or make the wrong decisions. However, just try to relax and not get hung up about being the best mom or dad in the world as no one expects you to be.

Understanding that mistakes will happen doesn’t mean you should throw caution to the wind. For example, holding your child in your lap instead of securing them in their car seat isn’t a mistake - it’s downright negligible and you could put your child’s life in danger. A mistake is letting your ten month old play with the telephone handset, only to realize that they have managed to dial 911.

Parenting Tip Two: You Are A Role Model

Every parent wants their children to like them, but you must remember that you are their parent not their friend. You have the responsibility of keeping them safe and raising them to be responsible members of society. You have to love them enough to set boundaries for them and if they cross them you may have to discipline them. It isn’t fun to say no to your child but better that they learn early that all actions have consequences - good or bad.

This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your children or have a relationship that is open and honest, and fun. Being a good parent is about knowing how to balance play with maintaining authority. Never let your child talk to you, even in play in a way that is disrespectful or rude. It is confusing for a child if their parent constantly switches between friend and parent mode. There may be days when your child doesn’t like you very much, but there will come a day when they love your for raising them with the ability to know right from wrong.

Parenting Tip Three: Tell Your Child That You Love Them

Tell your child that you love them. Try not to let a day go by without telling them. The years will pass by in a flash and those days when you can tuck them up in bed and kiss everything better won’t be long in passing. Make sure they feel loved and secure so that they can take that knowledge into adulthood and when they have children of their own they’ll probably thanks you for it.

Lisa Davies is a freelance writer. For more information about parenting visit our site Parenting Tips at http://www.babies2toddlers.com

Article Source: Article Junction

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