Parenting Skills Can Be Taught And Learned And Are The Common Denominators Of Good Parenting And Happy Children Everywhere

Parenting Skills are the common denominators of good parenting, and they can be learned, practiced and then applied to improve the entire parenting experience.

Parenting Skills are not some set of deep secrets that only a lucky few Super Parents or Foster Parents of the Year may know, but are common traits, attitudes and aptitudes that need only to be mentioned in order to be remembered and then utilized to our personal parenting advantage.

Though we will define and discuss some of the more important and fundamental parenting skills here, it should be noted that these skills are like so many good suggestions or Parenting Statistics in that there are always too many to mention in their entirety.

Besides, much of parenting and child rearing involves you as the parent adding your own personal touch to the process, thus allowing you to use your creativity and personal ways of looking at life to make the parent-child relationship that you will forge and enjoy a fully unique one, and hence all the more valuable to both you and your children.

And that leads us to the first way we learn the parenting skills we possess from the very beginning of our parenting experiences, and that is from our parents and the way we ourselves were raised and taught to understand the world within the homes of our youth.

Child Behavior is strongly influenced by the parental examples we show our children in the way we live our everyday lives, and this in turn becomes the basis for what you know, or think you know, about Parenting Skills.

Parenting Skills are at first learned by how we were raised in the home. We view aspects of family and home life as normal and comfortable because of the way we were raised; because of the familiarity of something we experienced time and again within our own homes as we grew up.

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This is not to say that all of the parenting examples learned at home are worth keeping around and practicing on your own children. Many of the best parenting examples are those we wish NOT to follow, and you all know what I mean by that.

One example will suffice.

My own father was raised in a home where the verbal phrase “I love you” was not heard, and where hugs were few and far between. My dad KNEW he was loved (and indeed he was) but he would have liked to hear it, and to have had more parental hugs thrown in for good measure.

SO, my father decided that one of the parenting skills he would live by, one forged by his own childhood experiences he wished to improve upon when he became the father of his own family, would be to tell his children often that “I Love You”, and to hug us children as often as possible, and even when we did not want to be hugged.

That is the childhood I remember, and that is because my father decided to do some things differently when he got the chance to, and so he did.

And so can you too!

The parenting experience your children will have and remember is completely in your power to mold and create.

Think of the good parenting traits from your own childhood and decide now to incorporate those things into your own parenting experiences. Then think of the things you wish had been different, and then work to make them different and better for your own children, much as my father did for me and my sisters.

And remember that good parenting must change and adapt to the changing world we and our children find ourselves living in.

A few centuries ago a lot of parenting skills revolved around learning to farm, raise animals and make your own cloths. Few of those skills would apply to our modern families, but new skills are now needed to take their place.

Modern Parents must now account for cell phone and internet usage, the modern temptations of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the modern and alarming trend towards lowering our moral standards that results in Preteen Sexuality, and a host of other modern parenting issues never even dreamed of by our Grandparent’s generation, and yet we and our children face on a daily basis.

Modern Parenting is the only type of parenting that will work for us in the modern world in which we now live.

That being said, there ARE parenting skills that are common denominators to all quality parents, and those which I view as being the most relevant and important to our parenting tasks today are as follows:

• Patience
There is no parenting problem so challenging or so difficult that losing your patience won’t guarantee to make the problem worse. Patience is a virtue that loving parents should share with their children and family. Patience eases tensions and facilitates peace and understanding. This is why Patience tops our list of necessary Parenting Skills to both have and to practice as often as possible.

• Consistency
Consistency in parenting allows children to learn the boundaries by which they can safely live under. It is not safe or healthy to constantly be changing the rules in the middle of the game, and parenting is certainly no game, so keep the Rules and Rewards by which your children live by consistent and understandable for the safety and sanity of the entire family. .

• Conflict Resolution
No parent wants to see their Children Fighting, but unless this parenting skill is understood and mastered, every time your child does fight with a sibling or with a friend will be another exercise in parental futility. Take the time to learn how to teach your children appropriate conflict resolution skills since you yourself will be a direct beneficiary of this skill sooner than later.

• Discipline
Discipline goes hand-in-hand with the parenting skill of ‘Consistency’ mentioned above. Just as any force of nature must be disciplined and channeled in order to be serviceable to mankind, so the lives of our children must be thus molded and aided lest they find themselves lacking the self-discipline necessary to enjoy or maintain the success that might otherwise be theirs.

• Communication
Communication is a Parenting Skill that is becoming more important at the same time it is becoming much harder to find. Teaching your children how to effectively communicate is an essential skill for all aspects of a successful life, and one that will benefit the parent who teaches it as much as the child who learns it.

• Finances
Many children are growing up not understanding the value of money. Many parents may find this aspect of life at times challenging as well. Why not take the time to educate your children concerning money, the value and importance of living within your means and possibly saving for a rainy day. Bring the children into discussions concerning family finances where appropriate, and perhaps your children’s expectations and requests may begin to be tempered as your children begin to learn the laws of financial scarcity, supply and demand, and delayed gratification for a better and higher good tomorrow. If your children don’t currently have a good grasp of money and finances, then it is your responsibility to give them one, that you all may reap the financial rewards of this lesson hereafter.

• Education
Education is another important theme that you need to help instill in your children. You already believe in the power of learning (and that is why you are here learning how to be a better parent), so help instill this love of learning to your children as well. Help your children to understand that there are many ways to educate yourself including formal education, life lessons, sports, hobbies and learning a skill or a trade. Help them find an appropriate Educational Balance with the other aspects of their life, and set them on the road to a lifetime of learning and the joys of new discoveries!

As mentioned at the top of this page, the realm of Parenting Skills is too broad and vast to cover comprehensively, nor can it be since you must add the unique life lessons and parenting individuality that only YOU can give to your parenting experiences.

Some other parenting skills one might want to consider are Teaching by Example, Child Development, Family Traditions, Respect for Diversity, Nutrition and Exercise, Strength with Honor, Reaping what one Sows, and how Cause and Effect impacts on everything that we do (Even if it is not immediately apparent).

Some excellent and highly regarded Parenting Skills can also be found here for those looking for additional ideas and help.

Parenting Skills are for all parents, not just for the ‘Good Parents’ and not just for the ‘Bad Ones’. These skills become OUR skills when we decide we need a compass by which to parent our children by, when we do the hard work of deciding what our parental compass is going to look like, and then working to learn and acquire the skills necessary to make that vision a reality.

Parenting Skills such as teaching children how to openly and honestly communicate, how to resolve conflicts in positive and productive ways, and being consistent with how you parent to provide a safe and understandable home environment for your children to thrive in are just some of the many parenting skills that are important and timeless for every parent to learn and to master.