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Beyond the Words, a Child's Voice
Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print fre.e of charge, as long as you include you include the full byline, hyperlinks, references and Resource Box. E-mail or courtesy link...
Develop Your Child's Critical Thinking Skills
1. Encourage Questions.
Don't answer every question, instead ask what do they think. Asking questions stimulates conversation between you and your child.
2. Don't Criticize.
Criticism invites low self-esteem. Children feel that they...
Grandparenting ceremony
As if the stress of raising kids in today's hustle-bustle world isn't enough, with both of you working and the price of everything going through the roof; let's add to your family situation a couple of well-intentioned, "experienced" child-rearing...
Sibling Rivalry: The Magic Secret That Stops It Instantly
It's a familiar scene: Kids screaming at each other, complaining that, "He got a bigger piece of pie," or "She got to stay up an hour later last night." When sibling rivalry rears its ugly head, what do you do? Try to reason with the kids? Scream,...
VALENTINE'S DAY SNOWFLAKE CONTEST
Empowered Parent Snowflake Contest To enter the Empowered Parent Snowflake contest, click on the design of your choice and either make one of these 4 patterns, or create your very own original! Send the completed snowflake to: JB Information...
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Top Ten Common-Sense Rules for Fathers
There are a lot of fairly sophisticated parenting techniques and ideas out there that are attracting attention. To be an effective father, you can skip most of them and concentrate on common sense rules that have always worked. They won’t always make you the most popular Dad, but they’ll always be effective:
Rule #1 Expect A Great Deal From Your Kids
If your kids know that you expect a lot from them, they’ll rise to the occasion. Everything from saying please and thank-you, to efforts in school or on the athletic field, if expectations are made clear in a loving atmosphere your kids will know that you think a lot of them. When they know this, they’ll respond.
Rule #2 Always Be Willing To Be the Problem
When you’re convinced that someone in your family is causing the problems and you’re blaming them for it, realize that this problem won’t get better until you accept that you’re making it worse by blaming them. It may briefly feel good to blame, but it never improves anything. Loving and accepting that person will make a positive difference.
Rule #3Know Your Child’s Life Intimately
Get to know all that you can about your kids. Know what their favorite toys and colors are, who their best friends are, who their heroes are, etc. By showing interest, you’re showing you love them. By not asking, you show that they’re not that important to you.
Rule #4Say No To Your Kids
There’s an awful lot of stuff out there for kids these days...and of course they want to have it all. Kids who get almost everything they want typically don’t turn out to be very happy kids. Kids learn discipline, self-control, and how to delay gratification when they are told no by their parents. It may be a difficult struggle, but saying no and meaning it will help you to have happy, healthy, and cooperative kids.
Rule #5Hitting or Spanking Your Kids Doesn’t Work
There are plenty of studies showing that kids who are spanked have lower self-esteem. Spanking your kids will also be likely to increase the very kinds of behaviors that you are spanking them for. As a father, do you really want your child to be afraid of you?
Rule #6Treat Your Wife Extremely Well
This is where your kids
get their most important information about relationships between men and women. Make a great effort not to fight in front of the kids. Remember to be kind more often than trying to be right.
Rule #7Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Many parents spend time threatening their children when their kids aren’t cooperating. But if you don’t follow through on the consequences, you can threaten till the cows come home. Your children will learn to ignore the threats. They’ll understand action. If certain privileges are taken away because of their lack of cooperation, they’ll learn very quickly that you mean business. Try your best to align the consequences with the action. ( If you don’t clean your room in time, you won’t have time for stories before bed.)
Rule #8Really Listen to Your Kids
Don’t just hear their words, but learn to understand the meaning behind what they say as well. I’m picking my own clothes! might mean that your child wants more responsibility or independence. Be able to reflect back what your child says to you. If you want your child to listen to you, you absolutely must listen to her/him.
Rule #9Give Your Kids Responsibility as They Grow Older
When your kids are very young, maybe they just help make their beds in the morning and keep their rooms clean. As they get older, add things to their list. Tell them that this is how a family works…everybody has certain things that they do. If you do it when they’re young it’s more likely they’ll do it when they’re older. Don’t reward them for things that should be expected of them.
Rule #10Tell Your Kids They’re Great All the Time
It is especially important to tell them this when they’re not at their best. It’s easy to tell them when things are going well. Make it a point to tell them specifically what you think is great about them. This will be more meaningful than generalized praise.
About the Author
Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC, is the author of 25 Secrets of Emotionally Intelligent Fathers (http://www.markbrandenburg.com/e_book.htm#secrets. For more great tips and action steps for fathers, sign up for his FREE bi-weekly newsletter, Dads, Don’t Fix Your Kids, at http://www.markbrandenburg.com
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