5 Parenting Gotcha’s to Get Through Guilt Free

We all know that parenting can be a double-edged sword. Often filled with wonderful joys combined with a ton of questions and frustrations. Some of the hardest lessons to learn is that our own parents were not necessarily right all the time and just because we were raised a particular way, doesn’t mean it’s the correct way. There are some definite gotcha’s that we can look out for and the changes we make will probably benefit our children a whole lot more.

Accountability seems to be a missing item in many of the families today. Many kids seem to have this right-to-have attitude and that may be the fault of the parents. Some of the ways you can help in your parenting effort is to eliminate this is to avoid dictatorship in the house. Letting the kids pick their own rewards (within reason) as well as their own punishments leverages that accountability and can be a life lesson.

Establishing a level of trust can be an iffy thing. Kids will try to manipulate and take advantage at every turn. However, if you realize that it is human nature to dislike having something taken away more than being given something, you can establish an understanding of trust. An example might be to give your kids a certain amount of money with the understanding of a set rule. This might be to come home within a curfew time. If they don’t return in the allotted amount of time, they must return the money, in full.

Making every attempt to have the family at the dinner table, at least a few nights per week is another way to help in the bonding process. In today’s busy schedules it’s not realistic to expect every night, but make an attempt to set some guidelines.

An allowance for your kids should always be associated with chores assigned. This sends the message that rewards are brought together with work that is done.

Source: http://living.msn.com/family-parenting/raising-kids/8-parenting-obligations-to-ditch-guilt-free-2

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.