There is probably no more exhausting, exciting, frustrating, or gratifying job than that of being a parent. One-minute things are going well and the next you are pulling your hair out wondering if you are going to survive. No matter what your socio-economic status or your education, parenting is an adventure second to none.

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Parenting is no easy task. There is so much to do, so much to be concerned about. “Am I raising my children good enough?” “Should I enforce more rules on them?” “Am I punishing them too harshly?” The worries of whether we are being good parents go on and on. Unfortunately, all you can do is your very best. The best advice given to me was from a nurse after all first son was born, and that was simply to Always love him with all your heart.

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Many times, in the heat of the moment we may use a label for a child that can have long term affects, especially if it is repeated. Consider a child who comes up to her mom and cries: “Mommy, Daddy called me stupid.” This form of humiliation can have lasting effects on a child. Whether it was said in the heat of the moment, or perhaps daddy had a bad day; it’s no excuse. Words hurt; it is an indelible rubber stamp of disapproval. Therefore, it is important to fully understand why labels can be destructive to children and lower your child self-esteem and self-confidence. READ More on Parenting And How Labeling Your Child Can Be Destructive

Disipline is becoming a very controversial topic, especially with proposals in some states making spanking illegal and equating it to child abuse. Thats a whole debate for a seperate article. This article will explore alternatives to this type of discipline, alternatives that have worked very well for my family. Parenting effectively can be one of the hardest task any person can undertake, and yet many parents are quite oblivious when it comes to how to go about instilling discipline into their children. There are a vast amount of toddler discipline approaches which abound in our modern times, and many contain very helpful and important information. It is important to approach your particular child as a unique individual while at the same time laying the ground rules of who is actually “in charge” in the home. Children learn at a very young age how to manipulate and control their parents in order to get their way in a situation. Therefore, taking care of toddler discipline while the child is still quite young is a very important step to a child’s future life and well-being. READ More on Discipline And Your Toddler

If only parenting were just the way we imagine it before ever having kids! “My kids will never do that,” we say when we see a two-year-old melting down in the grocery store or a twelve-year-old snapping at his mother. We envision cuddly stories before peaceful and calm bedtimes, fun romps at the playground with everyone obediently coming when it is time to go, and no burping contests at the dinner table (especially with your delicate daughter as the uncontested winner). Then reality intervenes in the form of loud, messy, dirty children who have (gulp) minds of their own. And we parents have to give up our dreams of perfect children (how fun would they be, anyway?) and start on the sometimes exhausting but ultimately fulfilling process of imposing discipline on our youngsters so they can evolve into caring, responsible, self-disciplined adults.

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