Parenting

Parenting is hard work! I wouldn't exactly know seeing as I am nineteen, not married, and do not have a child, but I have babysat. Although I love playing and watching little kids, after an evening of babysitting I need a full day recovery. The amount of attention, work and care that goes into raising a child is insane. I remember one time when I was about sixteen and I was asked to watch three kids for the evening. There was a little boy who was 6, a little girl who was 4, and a baby girl. They were the most energized little children I have ever met. No matter how long I let them run around outside playing games they never seemed to get tired enough to calm down. It was a struggle getting them ready for bed and what was even harder was making sure they stayed in bed. By the time I finally got the two oldest to bed, as luck would have it, the youngest then awoke. As you would figure I was exhausted by the end of the night. The struggles I seemed to have with these children most parents have similar problems through their whole child's life.
From birth to death all the parent is hoping for is to do a good enough job so that their kid will succeed in life's daily challenges. From teaching their child to read to teaching them how to change oil in a car. Parents are preparing their kids for the future up ahead. So to help out those of you parents struggling with your children or those preparing to have kids I would like to share some knowledge that I have acquired.
Taught by Dr. Popkin, children need contact and belonging, power, protection, withdrawal, and challenge. Without receiving these skills they may take unnecessary risks in order to feel a challenge or they may seek for revenge for the lack of protection the felt they were obligated to enjoy. They may also seek constant attention in unprecedented ways because they did not receive the contact they desperately needed. But there are easy ways as parents, you can makes sure they receive these needs. All it takes is a little bit of practice.
In order to assure that you child feels contact and also that they belong is simply being affectionate. This shows them that the are loved. If wanting to make them feel as though they belong in the family, let them contribute to the family. This consists of things, such as, washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, picking up the living room, and so on. If the child participates in family chores then they feel like they deserve to be there and they feel like they belong. It was always enjoyable to watch my little niece help me out in the kitchen. I would wash the dishes and she would help me dry them. Though I was terrified she might break one of the dishes, you could see how excited she was to tell her mom and dad that she was able to contribute.
As kids start to grow up they learn that they have the power, as in they have choices. Most parents get the excessive amount of no's from their little kids. This is because they just found out they have the power to make their own choices. Though this is good to learn make sure that they also understand the consequences of their choices, the responsibility that comes with the power. In order to protect your kids, you need to make sure to teach them how to be assertive. Teaching them this skill will allow them to stand up for themselves in the future when you are no longer there to protect them. As much as you want to always protect your child, they need to learn how to protect themselves.
The last to needs being withdrawal and challenge can be easily taught. Withdrawal is learned by showing children that they are allowed to take breaks. Taking a break and then continuing to work on the project at hand helps them to persevere and not become overly stressed with what needs to be done. Everyone loves to challenge themselves. That is why we further our education or take on new activities. In order to make sure that you kid meets their need for challenge in a safe way, allow them to be apart of new activities or teach them new skills daily.
Each child is different and complex. As a parent, you each know your child best and know the best was to implement the skills they need in order to help them succeed in live. I wish you the best in your parenting endeavors.