What kind of Parent are you?

I believe most parents do the best they can with the understanding they have at any given time.

I certainly did & no doubt my mother did also, but that was not enough to ensure that we had good parenting skills.

All we virtually knew was how OUR parents had treated US when WE were children.

The problem is immediately obvious - a variation of the same type of parenting being used generation after generation.


UNLESS


somewhere along the line someone makes a CHOICE to change something.

However, that doesn't occur until there is an AWARENESS that there ARE OTHER PARENTING METHODS which would be preferable.

Until the 1980s there were few resources to tap into, so we just acted by instinct, according to the programming we'd received from our own parents.

Now that was ok IF our own parenting had been loving, healthy & functional, but if not, another dysfunctional family was created, by no fault of our own.


Today we have so many opportunities to access knowledge & support -


Parenting programs

Psychologists

Psychotherapists

Counsellors

Family services

Relationship classes

Parenting books

Online websites

Are you, as a parent, taking advantage of these resources, or are you still reacting according to your instincts, as your parents did before you? It concerns me that many parents are doing just that - they are NOT MAKING EDUCATED CHOICES about how they will raise their children - when so many resources are today available.

Probably nothing in this world is more satisfying than seeing one's child growing & developing into his/her full potential, but with that opportunity comes the enormous responsibility of deciding upon & implementing the best parenting methods.

To be a "good" parent requires SACRIFICE. If that is something you are NOT prepared to do, for your sake, as well as the child's, think again about having children in the first place!