Everyone in Australia wants to be the best parent that they can be, and you will get lots of advice from your parents and grandparents about what they feel is the right thing when it comes to better parenting. There are so many first-time parents out there, and it is a very daunting task trying to figure out what is best for your children and what will encourage them to grow up to be productive members of society.
We want to live vicariously through them and provide our children with everything that we didn’t have while growing up. We all remember our parents taking us to the beach when we were younger, and we never had to be convinced to go. We would load up our buckets and spades, some food to eat and some sun cream. Our parents always made us wear a hat, which we didn’t like at all because we didn’t have the option of hooded towels back then. Now, you can wear your towel as it protects you from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays while also looking very cool at the same time.
The following are some of the top Australian parenting tips that will hopefully help you to keep your little ones for longer.
- Always be giving praise – Never be scared to tell your children that you are incredibly proud of them and you love it when they do well in school, when they take part in sports or any other accomplishments that they are experiencing in their young lives. There is no need to be negative around your children because it sticks with them and they will grow up lacking confidence and self-esteem.
- Always try to set limits – No Australian parent wants to tell their children ‘no’ but it is a word that many Australian parents need to learn to use more. Unfortunately, children seem to lack discipline in today’s modern world, probably because they have too many distractions around them. They live in a world of the Internet, and many young children would not know how to handle the situation if there were no Wi-Fi tomorrow. You as the parent, need to teach your child about learning self-control and what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
- Spend quality time with your children – You’re only going to get one chance at this, and any other parent will tell you that young children grow up so quickly. At the beginning of their young lives, they do want to spend time with their mom and dad but once they become teenagers, you have lost them. It’s not cool to hang around with your parents and they will tell you so. This is why you need to make time for your children whenever possible and don’t just pass them in the hallway as you go out to work in the morning.
- Try to be a good role model – Children are like sponges and they will copy everything that their parents say and do. You need to be incredibly careful around your children and always be trying to provide them with a positive role model. They are always watching you and learning from you. Try to be the person that you want your children to be and so teach them about respect, be friendly to everyone around you, try to be honest whenever you can and always be kind to people. Show your children that it’s good to help other people without needing recognition, and always treat your children the way that you would want to be treated.
- Communication is incredibly important – Children always want to know why they have to do and say certain things, and it is your job as the adult to explain it to them as best you can. Never be afraid to be open about your feelings and encourage your children to do likewise. Try not to tell your kids what they have to do and maybe offer them a suggestion or a choice instead.
Never forget, however, that you, as the parent, have needs as well. Nobody is going to be the perfect parent, no matter how hard they try, and we all have weaknesses that we need to work on. Try to be realistic when it comes to your expectations for your children and accept the fact that you don’t always have the right answers. It’s normal to feel incredibly tired when trying to teach children about life, so don’t be so hard on yourself and try to take some time out just for yourself. Follow these pieces of advice and everything will be fine.
