Every child is unique and so is a parent, what do you say?
So, I don't believe parenting tips work the same for everyone.
As a parent, we learn from experiences, try our best to give happiness to our kids. We make mistakes, realize later, and correct them. The tips that I am sharing now are some tried and tested ones. I will be glad if you can relate to those and they help you too..
Pin it for later!
1. Managing Tantrums
This is a big deal really, especially if you have an infant/toddler. Children are sometimes stubborn. Since they cannot still talk at that age, they try to grab the attention of parents either by crying loud or doing something else which is irritating to the parents.
So, we can't blame them as it's their way of expressing anger/ disagreement.
In these cases, I will be stubborn too, but just that I won't shout at them.
Patience is the key to manage tantrums and we have to repeat the same instructions many times and let them understand. Sometimes, I feel, I am too strong and dominant in these cases, but when it comes to their health or safety, let me be a bad mother for some time.
2. Managing a fussy eater
I always have good patience, but when it comes to feeding my 1-year-old, I give up. I know, I shouldn't force feed, but every mom is concerned about her child's health, right?
Gradually, I started practicing a few tips which solved this problem for me.
There are soo many that I would save it for another post later :-)
3. Trying not to be a 100% perfect mom
We always try to be perfect - feeding kids the perfect quantity of meals with perfect nutrition, grooming them, getting the toys that they love, spending more time with them, etc., But is it possible? I miss many of these.
Sometimes, I am lazy to cook a very nutritious meal, get tired to feed them for some more time, get tired to be a good parent not shouting at them. I talk to my friends, browse the web, do my errands and sometimes, I cannot give complete attention to them and play with them. But, I feel, this is Ok. I will try my best what I can provide to my kid and sometimes, I falter and this is Ok.
Striving to be perfect is good, but if it increases your stress level, it's not worth it. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, please share your opinion in comments.
4. Engaging the kid
This is the biggest task. We need more patience and creativity. I use google to search for better ideas to engage them. Anyways, Pinterest helps me to find an easy craft any time a day.
To engage my 1-year-old, I usually stack building blocks with him, encourage him to play with the ball, run more, watch and hum rhymes, and read storybooks. Other than allowing him to play with toys and do painting, I encourage and help my 5-year-old to make crafts.
We all like storytelling. I get Disney comic books and read out to them by showing pictures. Traveling to new places and playing outside are the best pass-times that they love. There are many ways to engage kids and I am yet to explore more.
5. Allowing some 'Me' time
You might say, this is not a parenting tip. But, A happy parent can raise a happy child. Agree?
If we all are mechanically doing the chores and dedicating our complete time to kids alone, we might lose that spark within us slowly.
I like reading, blogging, software testing, dancing, and a lot more. These are also part of my life. Being myself and doing what I like is the most relaxing. I get at most 2 hours for this as of now, but I am good to sacrifice a little sleep and enjoy my 'Me' time :-)
Wow! I think I have written a lengthy post. 'Parenting' is not a simple task, anyways :-)
Thanks to Corinne and Sanch for giving this wonderful topic for #FridayReflections - Top parenting tips
Until next time,
PS: All images are from google labeled with non-commercial reuse.
So, I don't believe parenting tips work the same for everyone.
As a parent, we learn from experiences, try our best to give happiness to our kids. We make mistakes, realize later, and correct them. The tips that I am sharing now are some tried and tested ones. I will be glad if you can relate to those and they help you too..
Pin it for later!
1. Managing Tantrums
This is a big deal really, especially if you have an infant/toddler. Children are sometimes stubborn. Since they cannot still talk at that age, they try to grab the attention of parents either by crying loud or doing something else which is irritating to the parents.
So, we can't blame them as it's their way of expressing anger/ disagreement.
In these cases, I will be stubborn too, but just that I won't shout at them.
Patience is the key to manage tantrums and we have to repeat the same instructions many times and let them understand. Sometimes, I feel, I am too strong and dominant in these cases, but when it comes to their health or safety, let me be a bad mother for some time.
2. Managing a fussy eater
I always have good patience, but when it comes to feeding my 1-year-old, I give up. I know, I shouldn't force feed, but every mom is concerned about her child's health, right?
Gradually, I started practicing a few tips which solved this problem for me.
- Maintaining proper meal times
- Giving them proper exercise before lunch/dinner like running or playing
- Adding more fruits to increase their appetite
- Making it a family meal together
- Allowing to eat by themselves and bearing with the mess
- Maintaining a proper gap between foods etc.,
There are soo many that I would save it for another post later :-)
3. Trying not to be a 100% perfect mom
We always try to be perfect - feeding kids the perfect quantity of meals with perfect nutrition, grooming them, getting the toys that they love, spending more time with them, etc., But is it possible? I miss many of these.
Sometimes, I am lazy to cook a very nutritious meal, get tired to feed them for some more time, get tired to be a good parent not shouting at them. I talk to my friends, browse the web, do my errands and sometimes, I cannot give complete attention to them and play with them. But, I feel, this is Ok. I will try my best what I can provide to my kid and sometimes, I falter and this is Ok.
Striving to be perfect is good, but if it increases your stress level, it's not worth it. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, please share your opinion in comments.
4. Engaging the kid
This is the biggest task. We need more patience and creativity. I use google to search for better ideas to engage them. Anyways, Pinterest helps me to find an easy craft any time a day.
To engage my 1-year-old, I usually stack building blocks with him, encourage him to play with the ball, run more, watch and hum rhymes, and read storybooks. Other than allowing him to play with toys and do painting, I encourage and help my 5-year-old to make crafts.
We all like storytelling. I get Disney comic books and read out to them by showing pictures. Traveling to new places and playing outside are the best pass-times that they love. There are many ways to engage kids and I am yet to explore more.
5. Allowing some 'Me' time
You might say, this is not a parenting tip. But, A happy parent can raise a happy child. Agree?
If we all are mechanically doing the chores and dedicating our complete time to kids alone, we might lose that spark within us slowly.
I like reading, blogging, software testing, dancing, and a lot more. These are also part of my life. Being myself and doing what I like is the most relaxing. I get at most 2 hours for this as of now, but I am good to sacrifice a little sleep and enjoy my 'Me' time :-)
Wow! I think I have written a lengthy post. 'Parenting' is not a simple task, anyways :-)
Thanks to Corinne and Sanch for giving this wonderful topic for #FridayReflections - Top parenting tips
Until next time,
Parenting is definitely not easy.
ReplyDeleteI myself gave up even aiming at perfection eons ago. It is impossible to achieve, and it is damaging everybody's health in the long run.
I am a huge proponent of "Me time". I NEED my daily "Me time", like I need air to breathe and food to eat. And without having time for myself everyday, I can't be a good human being, leave alone a good mom.
Completely agree with you Cynthia. Without 'Me' time time, its difficult
ReplyDeletecompletely engaging tips...
ReplyDeleteThanks Dipannita :-) glad you liked them
ReplyDeleteCould relate to every word of it Ramya ! I believe that we have started taking parenting quite a bit challenging these days..there are no set rules for anyone and we can't say that parenting tips which work for some, might work for the others..coz as every kid is different, so are the parents who eventually are individuals only..
ReplyDeleteWe should follow our instinct and leave the rest ��
Yes Samta. Thats the reason even after reading many articles and talking to many parents it becomes challenging as every child is different. As you rightly said, we should follow our instinct and leave the rest.
DeleteVery well said Ramya... Parenting needs a lot of patience and consistency which can only come if we stop comparing ourselves with others and start realizing that it is not a competition ... End of the day you will do what is best for your kid... There is no right or wrong here.If we can't take care of ourself, we can't take care of our family ... So ME time is MUST
ReplyDeleteYes Hema. Glad that you agree too. I realised it late.
DeleteNo.3 is the most important for me. I need to stop being a perfectionist :D
ReplyDeleteTrue Ami. Many first time parents try to be perfect in everything and add up stress in their lives
DeleteThese tips are helpful but what do you do with three children of different ages?
ReplyDeleteI agree that its very difficult to manage with 3 kids of different ages. That is the reason i mentioned different ways to engage 1 year old and 5 year old. If atleast one kid goes to school for sometime, it will be better for a parent to engage other kids.
DeleteNot a mum but these are good by all the books. :)
ReplyDelete:-) you will know better with experience
Deletenot a parent yet, but I have two very cute and kind of stubborn neighbors who frequent my home and adore me, so I kind of relate to the need for patience when they are around. even when it comes to their snacks. but my mother likes to pamper, and more often than not, they end up getting what they want. I wouldn't say these are just tips, but words from experience. :) so thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Vinay. Good that you can relate to some of them
DeleteGreat tips Ramya, one needs to maintain personal sanity and health in order to bring up a child right. I often feel that aspect is the most overlooked, especially in our country. Also kids need alone time, to just idle away and day-dream!
ReplyDeleteTrue kala ravi. We tend to ignore our health as parent usually.
DeleteI think your final tip is gold. Parents need to be mentally healthy themselves to raise a healthy child.
ReplyDeleteYes Sanch. But unfortunately many parents ignore their health completely devoting their time only to child
DeleteI think realizing that there's no such thing a perfect parent and making time for yourself are so important.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteUes Corinne
DeleteYes Corinne
Delete