There is no shortage of parenting advice these days, and definitely more than enough people to give you their two cents- unasked for, of course. With modern times come new ideas and methods that many of us are anxious to try: positive parenting, respectful parenting, parenting without punishment, attachment parenting, helicopter parenting and many more. If you can’t decide what avenue to take, you’re not alone. In fact, you’ve probably just figured out what works for you, which is a combo of some of the styles above. You’ve probably also looked back on your childhood and that of your parents to seek direction. While many come from a background where our relatives may have made poor parenting choices, there are still some great styles out there that we can use today.
1. Parents Are Not Your Friends
If you watch any reality show you probably see the result of parents being their kids besties instead of their parents. The outcome is usually disrespectful teenagers and parents that cow-tow to their every need in hopes of reigning them back in. Our grandparents may have subscribed to the “seen and not be heard” idea for children, but one thing they demanded was respect. While they surely loved their children, their love came from a place of bringing up their kids to respect their elders and those in charge of them. Not only does this help in childhood situations like school, but hopefully on into adulthood where we learn to respect our bosses and coworkers.