Positive Parenting Tips

Written by Diana Salazar. Posted in Blog

 

Positive parenting might sound like something you do everyday. But this style of parenting involves many various facets.

 

What is it exactly?

 

It is a parenting principle developed by psychiatrists Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs during the 1920s. In this principle, it assumes that children are born good and with the desire to do the right thing. So as a parent, when using positive parenting, you take the stance and belief that your child’s behavior isn’t necessarily bad, but they just haven’t been taught the skills necessary and they want to do the right thing, but they are still developing. This principle emphasizes that there must be mutual respect between and using non-punitive measures of ways to discipline. In conclusion, the approach’s focus is on teacher future behavior instead of punishing past behaviors.

Being a positive parent means that you are intune to your child’s needs, developmental stages, and their natural temperament and predispositions.

 

Benefits of Positive Parenting

 

• Fewer behavior problems
• Close-parent relationships
• Better self-esteem and mental well-being
• Greater school performance
• Better social competence
• More parenting self-esteem and less parental stress

 

Positive Parenting Tips

 

1. Focus on the reasons behind behaviors
   1. Ask questions to get to the core of the problem.
2. Be kind and firm.
   1. Model how to be kind by being kind to your children. It helps children be more receptive and allows them to calm down.
   2. Being kind is not the same as giving in to the behaviors.
3. Gentle discipline.
4. Be clear and consistent.
   1. Decide and explain the consequences of violating limits clearly before being enforced. In addition, parents need to be consistent and follow through on them.
5. Understand age appropriate behavior and brain development.
   1. For instance, tantrums in toddlers are very normal. These young kids have big emotions but cannot express them in words. They also don’t have the ability to regulate themselves because that part of the brain is not yet developed.
6. Start positive parenting early.
   1. As early as a newborn. Happy children are nurtured through their environment, being you.
7. Give yourself a time-out when you are exhausted.
   1. When you feel that you’re about to lose it, tell your child that you need a moment by yourself because you are upset. Give a time frame on when you’ll return and then go into another room to cool off.
   2. Walking away not only stops the power struggles but also allows you the time to calm down. Remind yourself of your disciplining goal, which should be to teach, not to win in a conflict.
8. Make behavioral episodes learning opportunities.
   1. For example, if they no longer like a toy, have them donate it with you.
   2. If they are angry, help them find the words to express their feelings to you.
9. Be patient and don’t despair.
   1. Using positive parenting skills is not about getting fast results. It is about teaching behavior that parents want their children to emulate over time.

 

Sources: Li, P. (2022, December 25). 9 essential positive parenting tip, the definitive guide. Parenting For Brain. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://www.parentingforbrain.com/what-is-positive-parenting/