Effective Parent Behaviors

Be sure to do things with your kids that raise their self-esteem.  This is one of the most important things you can do as a parent.  If you look at statistics, you will find a direct connection with poor self-esteem in the child and bad/delinquent/undesireable behavior.  The majority of drop-outs have said that they had poor self-esteem.  Higher achievers had good self-esteem and felt valuable.  Having an involved Dad raises a child’s self-esteem tremendously.

Most teen pregnancy is caused by low self-esteem in girls.  In fact, the majority of teen pregnancies are deliberate, not accidents.  The girls said they “wanted somebody to love and that would love them.”  Obviously their parents are not getting it done.  The Dad plays a more important role in this area than the Mom, by the way.  Be involved with your teenage daughter, and show her how a man treats a woman by treating your wife with respect and love.  This is the best prevention for teen pregnancy… an involved, skilled Dad.  Show them that they are important to you.

A lack of connection with parents and teachers leads to drop-outs and runaways.  Stay connected and make your children a priority in your life, not an afterthought.  Don’t treat them as a pain in the neck, the way some parents do. 

Here are 4 Behaviors of Effective Parents:

1- Build self-esteem in your children.  Accept them for who they are, show them unconditional love and make a conscious effort to be a good parent.  It takes effort and learning and patience to be a good parent, it does not just happen by accident.

2- Create a home environment where children feel safe to be themselves and express their feelings.  Children need to feel physically and emotionally safe.  They can’t be beat up emotionally for having an opinion or making a mistake.  No name calling, no sarcasm or destructive criticism.  This will take tremendous effort for many parents.  Sarcasm is one of my hot buttons, when I see parents being sarcastic and snotty with their children it really gripes me.  Be loving.  Kids need to feel like their parents back them and are on their side.  Not an adversarial relationship.

3- Set positive expectations.  Create a family environment where kids are encouraged to succeed and know the boundaries.  Set them up for success, not failure.  Children will flourish in a positive and clear-cut environment.

4- Emphasise communication.  Seek to understand your child.  Keep up with their many changes and show them you care about who they are.  Never let communication break down.  Many parents don’t even really know who their kids are, and that’s a recipe for disaster.  Ask your children what their interests are.  What have they done that makes them feel proud?  What do they consider to be their greatest achievement?  Talk about their likes and dislikes, what’s going on with their friends and at school.  BE INVOLVED.  It wouldn’t seem like this is all that complicated, but it’s amazing how many kids have parents that are too busy with their own lives to include thier own children.  Communication is practically non-existant in some families.  Don’t let that be you. 

Have a great day, and pass this website along to your friends and family.  Help us support involved Dads. 

Tags: behavior, dad, dadsworld, mom, parenting, thoughts on parenting