Tag Archives: parenting skills

What’s the Most Important Parenting Skill?

  Patience, forgiveness, empathy?  What is the most important parenting skill? Good parenting isn’t presented to us at baby showers or as a parting gift from hospital staff following 21 hours of labor.  So, how do you acquire the skills needed to raise decent human beings?  Moreover, what are the most important qualities needed to ensure your child is able to grow into a valuable member of society? Patience:  Wash, dry, fold, break up fights, chauffeur, shop, cook, clean, repeat… over and over again.  After years of this monotony it’s no wonder many parents find it challenging to be patient … Continue reading →

Do’s and Don’ts of Single Parenting

Becoming a single parent means learning new things and fast. In addition to reading everything you can, sometimes the best (or hardest) lesson is through good, old-fashioned experience. I know as a divorced mother of two, I had to learn some pretty tough lessons through trial and error. Although I certainly don’t have all the answers, I thought I would share a few of the do’s and don’ts I discovered during my years as a single parent. For starters, you should never place your child in a position of being your peer. Sure, your child can be a friend but … Continue reading →

Update: 3-Year-Old Wanders On Interstate

Here’s an update to a blog I wrote about what I considered to be an example of bad parenting. It involved a 3-year-old Indianapolis boy found wandering down Interstate 465, clad in a t-shirt and diaper. You can read the blog here. The mother was charged with four counts of child neglect and the kids were placed in state custody. Initial reports stated that the boy’s sister was found eating spaghetti off the floor, in fact she was eating canned spaghetti out of the trash (the can had been placed in the trash the night before, according to the mother). … Continue reading →

How Do You Handle Conflicts With Your Kids?

When you and your children are in conflict how do you usually handle it? Are you a director, collaborator or perhaps you’re an avoider? In Battles, Hassles, Tantrums & Tears, authors Susan Beekman and Jeanne Holmes list five styles of solving conflict that most parents fall into. Read on to see which type of parent you are. (1) Director- This type of parent tells their children what to do, in fact, demands that their children do what they think is right. It is useful when an immediate action is needed or when a child needs a clear limit. If you … Continue reading →

80 Parenting Tips

Parents Magazine has been around for 80 years and in the October 2006, in honor of their anniversary, they offer 80 Tips for Parents From Parents. Here are some of my favorites: Give yourself a break, being a parent means making mistakes and we should not beat ourselves up about them. Instead, we should learn and move on. Create a weekly family ritual like talking a walk in the park, having pancakes for dinner or playing charades. Be affectionate to your kids. Begin and end each day with “I love you” and offer lots of hugs and kisses. Learn to … Continue reading →