Principles of Good Parenting Part 2

This post is a continuation of our previous post “Principles of Good Parenting Part 1”
Click here to read the previous post

Principles of Good Parenting

The following principles should be adhered to if we are to raise our children in the proper way.

1. Be clear about your values.

Tell your children your stand & belief on sensitive & important issues. Good character is both taught & caught. If we want these children to internalise the virtues that we value, we need to spell out what we believe & why. We are to seize every opportunity in our daily lives as parents to engage children in moral conversation.

2. Model & teach your children good manners. 

Ensure that all family members use good manners in the home. Teach your children the golden rule that in their
relationship with others they should do to other people what they want to be done unto them. Good manners a really the golden rule in action. It is actually in the home that thoughtfulness for others has its root whether the issue has to do with courtesy or other simple social graces.

3. Lead by example & be a good role model in the home.

Children copy a lot from our own behaviour. The moral power of a quiet example is very influential in a child’s life. You have to walk the talk as a parent. Once again to help your children become the best they can be, you must be the best you ought to be yourself. You must be the best you can be for humanity in the way you relate with others & impart with others & impact positively on your immediate environment and for your children by being their favoured role model 

4. Show respect for your spouse, your children and other family members.

It is said that respect begets respects. Parents who share family responsibilities, resolves their differences in peaceful ways communicate a powerful message about respect. If children experience respect first-hand within the family, they are more likely to be respectful of others. 

5. Read to your children & keep good literature in the home.

Great teachers have always used stories to teach, motivate, and inspire, and reading together is an important part of passing the moral legacy of our culture from one generation to another. Children’s questions and comments about the stories offers parents important insights into their children’s thoughts, beliefs, and concerns. 

6. Assign home responsibilities to all family members.

We have an obligation to make our children develop a sense of responsibility by teaching and assigning small responsibilities to them such as clearing the table after meals, taking the trash, watering the flowers and switching off appliances that are not in use.

7. Learn to capitalize on the “teachable moment.” 

Use situations to spark family discussions on important issues. Some of the most effective character education can occur in the on-going, everyday life of the family. As parents and children interact with one another & with others outside the home, there are countless situations that can be used to teach valuables lessons about responsibility, empathy, kindness, and compassion.

8. Don’t make your children to be conscious of money. 

Provide every good thing that your children needs & keep money away from them while they are still young. Do not allow your children to become focus & conscious of money at a tender age.

9. Help your children to develop an appreciation for non-material award.

In today’s consumerist culture, youth could easily come to believe that image – wearing the “right” car etc- represents the path to success and happiness. Parents can make strong statements about what they value by the ways in which they allocate their own resources and how they allow their own wards to spend the funds entrusted to them.

10. Keep your children busy in positive activities.

Children & youth have remarkable energy levels, and the challenge is to channel that energy into positive activities such as hobbies, learning how to play & master a musical instrument, acquiring a skill or vocation, learning a language, computer literacy, arts & craft or church or edifying youth. Such activities promote altruism, caring, and cooperation and also give children a sense of accomplishment.

11.  Set clear expectations for your children and hold them accountable for their actions. 

Defining reasoning limits and enforcing them appropriately establishes the parents as the moral leaders in the home and provides a sense of security to children & youth. It also lets them know that you care enough about them to want them to be or to become people of good character.

12. Learn to say no and mean it.

It is natural for children – especially teenagers – to test the limits and challenge their parents’ authority. Despite the child’s protests, a parent’s most loving act is often to stand firm & prohibit the child’s participating in a potentially hurtful activity.

13. Know where your Children are, what they are doing, and with whom.

Adults need to communicate in countless ways that we care about children and that we expect the best from them, but also that we take seriously our responsibility to establish standards and to monitor, chaperone, and supervise. At the risk for being perceived as “old fashioned,” insist on meeting your children’s friends and their parents.

14. Refuse to cover up for your children or make excuses for their inappropriate behaviour.

Shielding children and youth from logical consequences for their actions fails to teach them personal responsibility. It also undermines social customs & laws by giving them the impression that they are somehow exempt from regulations that govern others’ behaviour.

15. Know what television shows, videos, and movies your children are watching.

 While there are some very fine materials available, a proliferation of pornographic & hate-filled information is easily accessible to our youth. By word & example, teach your children responsible viewing habits. If you learn that your child has viewed something objectionable, candidly share your feelings and discus why the material offends your family’s values.

16. Remember that you are the adult!

 Children don’t need another playmate, but they desperately need a parent who cares enough to set & to enforce appropriate limits for their behaviour. Sometimes being able to say, my dad won’t let me” provides a convenient escape for a youth who really didn’t want to participate in a questionable activity.
As you apply these principles you are sure you are going to get the desired results.

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