Effective Parenting Skills

Becoming a parent is different from been a parent, they are two different things entirely, many probably know how to become a parent but very few people know how to be a parent with effective parenting skills. Thanks to addition of sexual education in educational curriculum people are thought from the onset the biological avenue of becoming a parent – reproduction, etc, but hardly have informative exercises like effective parenting skills imparted in school, or outside schools, no wonder there are so many problems in the world. The family unit is the most complex, and delicate part of human development, an imbalance in this part of development can destroy not only a family, but a whole nation. More than 70% of individual’s committing hates crimes are traced to belong to deficient parenting. Concerned authorities should stop playing lips service to child abuse and make conscious effort towards nabbing the evil in the mud, start teaching effective parenting skills. Information should be readily available to people of all ages. Many parents today go into marriage with caricature parenting knowledge. Most marriages today are doomed to fail from the beginning because it was contracted under false environment, the consequence, Innocent children who definitely did not beg to be born.

What Is Parenting? Parenting is the action part of a child birth. It is the act of caring for young ones from when they are little to the time they become self dependent. There is difference between parenting and effective parenting skills. Yes! Thank God the baby is born, after the whole drama, joy, dancing, and jubilation of a new born baby, what next? Love? Most parent depend on love (a concept they probably know little about) to guide them in raising their young. It is a fact that Love is one the most famous word in the English dictionary and also the most mysterious word. Many understand love base on desires and materialistic gains, and unbelievably as it may sound parents often don’t know how to show love to their children as part of effective parenting skills, it goes beyond providing nourishment, and meeting their basic needs, beyond even spoiling them with gifts, but knowing how to discipline them at the time they need it. It also includes praying for them, accepting them for who they are, absolving their short comings, and understanding the role of God in everything especially as regards children. This can only be done when one gets committed to acquire effective parenting skills.

Effective Parenting Skills Concept – Effective parenting skills is not an in born knowledge, it is acquired by parents from experience, reading books and other informative materials, and from a mentor. The concept is stemmed from the need to raise good children, one that will make any parent and country proud. This is important concept as part of effective parenting skills. To achieve this therefore the “how of” parenting need to be acquired and followed to the later, as they say: happy children, happy family and a contented family is a great country. Therefore brining up a child is not only a parent palaver, but the country even the world as a whole.. How? Consider President Obama, the first black American president, why would his father’s country (Kenya) declare a several days holiday to celebrate him and his achievement? Why will a whole country be affected by one achievement of an individual even though he is part of them? The reason is simple, he is a child of the country and what ever happens to him affect the image of the nation and vise – versa. How to develop effective parenting skills

1. Spare the rod and spoil the child – This is a controversial passage in the bible; it constitutes Gods declaration of parenting. Many frowned at it, but others have learned to embrace the wisdom from the above declaration. The “rod” does not necessarily means beating up a child with rods, and the likes, it is a symbolic meaning, which denotes the arm of parenting. Discipline is a handy tool that all parents ought to use in parenting, lovingly discipline your children and they will never forget it. So the rod symbolizes: counseling, correcting, praising when necessary, confessing love, leading by examples – don’t be a friend to alcohol and expect that your child will accept your training of “no drinking”, dedicate time to your children no matter how busy you may be. Giving you child some quality time is important part of effective parenting skills.

2. Policies- Policies like child abuse should go beyond just restricting parent or guidance from maltreating their children or wards, to training parents on the act of parenting. Teenage pregnancies is here to stay, the earlier this fact is digested the sooner effective parenting skills will be developed to enable this teenagers bring up their children. Offer information on parenting and make it available in large quantity everywhere, of-course teenagers are not the only ones that needs this skills but the matured ones too. One needs to be aware of this as part of effective parenting skills.

Parenting is a huge job. It takes a lifetime of learning to acquire the relevant skills that is why the best source of training is from experience mothers. Parents should embrace this learning process, and avoid unnecessary pride about parenting, single parent should buy informative materials, develop positive disposition and get close to a mentor. Effective parenting skills demand your time and you should be committed to give it.

Picture- Edwin Dalorzo