Do you have the right parenting skills?

Effective parenting has never been more important to a family's success than today. Proper parenting shapes the coming generations, and the way the next generation will behave, affecting the world around them. History has taught us that parenting without a proper foundation has always and indefinitely lead to confusion for any developing child. That is why the attempt of trying to be a successful parent is so important and will be the most important job of one's life. Knowing what healthy methods are best for one's child during parenting is time consuming but a rewarding effort.

How to acquire parenting skills?

Every parent dreams of being the best parent. There are certain elements that make a parent skilled. Parenting is not a part-time activity but a full time and dedicated practice. Knowledge on certain aspects and acquired skills will make every parent a successful parent. Parenting can't be taught theoretically as it is an art to be learned by practice. Parenting is an action performed with a goal of wellbeing and perfect growth and development of children. There are no immediate results waiting in parenting, thus knowing if the methods are right is a difficult task. A parent with proper skills can excel in the art of parenting.

Parenting Skills
Back when our parents were born, parenting skills were learned from the extended family. If parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles didn't live in the same house, they usually lived within a few miles. They were always available to impart their considerable wisdom to the younger generation on the subjects of pregnancy, childbirth, and raising children. Now, we have become such a transient society; it is rare that the extended family is even in the same state!

Parenting Skills - Discipline

Probably the most important and controversial parenting skill is discipline. We parents are conflicted over what type of discipline to apply at what time. The ability to recognize what we teach our children is one parenting skill from which we can all benefit. From the mument our children are born, they are learning from us. They learn that if they cry, we respond. If they pull our hair, we say, "ouch." If they throw their cup on the floor, we pick it up. As time goes on, we also teach them to walk, talk, get dressed, and say their A-B-C's.

As parents, we also have the responsibility to teach our children morals and values. We cannot depend solely on the schools to fulfill this important duty. At some point during early childhood, parents must make a decision on how to handle a child's formal education. Will the child be home-schooled or will they attend public or private school?

A variety of factors come into play when we consider the education of our children:
• Family financial situations,
• Quality of local public and private schools,
• Level of parental education,
• Personalities of parents and children,
• Home-schooling support and resources,
• And many other issues.
A child's educational success is not always dependent upon where he attends school, but how involved his parents are in his education.

Parenting Skills - Finances

Effectively dealing with financial issues is a parenting skill that will follow us through our children's adulthood. It begins with the heart-stopping thought: "We are having a baby! How on earth will we pay for this?" Many couples choose to delay starting their family until they have saved a comfortable amount of money.
Parents today face diapers, clothing, food, entertainment, education, childcare, allowance, and countless other expenses. Wise parents will look at where they want the family finances to be in one, five, or even ten years, and then write down their goals. These goals can be as simple as putting $50 per month into a college savings account or towards the credit card balance.

Children bring us much joy and much responsibility. Taking the time to plan ahead can take some of the stress and worry out of raising them.