What makes a good parent? They certainly don’t teach the answer to that question in school, do they? If you were lucky, you had parents that modeled good parenting skills when you were growing up. But if you didn’t, it is especially hard to know what’s important and where to begin when you are faced with raising your own kids.
One way to determine what is important to you is to ask yourself the following tough questions:
* Are your kids going to grow up to be capable, productive contributors to society or will they end up being under-educated, unemployed and lacking the skills necessary to realize their dreams? * Are they going to be socially competent, well rounded and culturally aware, or are will they turn out to be ill-mannered, one dimensional and intolerant? * Will they be financially fit and able to provide for their needs on all levels, or will they find themselves bereft of survival skills and dependent upon others? * Will they be engaged and engaging, interested and interesting or will they lack the fundamental communication, observation and reasoning skills necessary to function socially and in the workplace? * Will they have compassion for all things and leave their positive mark on the world, or will they fail to use their unique gifts and become lackadaisical, bored and uninspired?
We all know what we want to happen. But will it happen, all by itself? Of course not.
Just as the quality of a good parent is learned, the qualities that make up a great kid are learned. Kids are not born possessed of the life skills they will need to succeed. These things must be taught, and for your child to have the best chance, you must start early. Don’t wait until your kid is a teenager to find out what makes a good parent. Read the "6 Basic Principles of Good Parenting" and get started right now!
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