Marriage&Relationships: How To Be A Good Parent In This Covid-19 Period

Parenting or child rearing is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood.

What makes a good parent?

A good parent is someone who strives to make decisions in the best interest of their children and this has nothing to do with money, jobs or career. parenting includes a lot of decision-making ranging from whether you both want to have a child, how to go about the pregnancy to the time of birth, how to rise the child, schooling and so on. The decisions that you both make at this time matters and will determine the future of the child especially when you both agree on them together.

A good parent doesn’t have to be perfect because no one is perfect, we both make mistakes but what matters is how we deal and solve those mistakes without hurting the children. No child is perfect either as parents, we have to keep this in mind when we set our expectations, as parents we have to correct and guide them on what is right instead of scolding them all the time when they make blunders.

Successful parenting is not about achieving perfection but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t work towards our goals. Setting high standards for ourselves first and then for our children because we serve as a role model for them, you may not achieve all the goals, you will still be moving in the right direction Walk the walk by not just telling your children what you want them to do, Show them and correct them where they go wrong.

Human is a special species in part because we can learn by imitation^​ because we are programmed to copy from other’s actions to understand them and to incorporate them into our own, Children, in particular watch everything their parents do very carefully.

So, be the person you want your child to be, respect your child, show them positive behavior and attitude, have empathy towards your child’s emotional behaviors and your child will follow suit.

Show them love.

There is no such thing as loving your child too much, loving them cannot spoil them^​, only that you have to choose what to do (or give) in the name of love can, things like material, indulgence, leniency, low expectation, and over protection.

 When these things are given in place of real love, that’s when you’ll have a spoiled child.

Loving your child can be as simple as giving them hugs, spending time with them and listening to their issues seriously every day.

Showing these acts of love can trigger the release of feel-good hormones such as oxytocin. These neurochemicals can bring us a deep sense of calm, emotional warmth and contentment, from these the child will develop resilience and not to mention a closer relationship with you as a parent

Babies are born with around 100 billion brain cells (neurons) with relatively little connections, these connections create our thoughts, drive our actions, shape our personalities and basically determine who we are. They are simply created, strengthened and “sculpted” through experiences across our lives.

Give your child positive experiences, they will have the ability to experience positive experiences themselves and offer them to others and the reverse is true

Not only do these positive experiences create good connections in your child’s brain, but they also form the memories of you that your child carries for life.

When it comes to discipline, it seems hard to remain positive but it is possible to practice it and avoid some harsh measures.

Being a good parent means you need to teach your child the moral in what is right and what is wrong like Setting limits and being consistent are the keys to good discipline

Be kind and firm when enforcing those rules, you set as parents, focus on the reason behind your children’s behavior and make it an opportunity to learn for the future, rather than to punish for the past.

Be a safe haven for your children

Let your child know that you’ll always be there for them by being responsive to the child’s signals and sensitive to their needs, Support and accept your child as an individual, be a warm and safe haven for your child to explore from and let them know that they can count on you for anything.

Children raised by parents who are consistently responsive tend to have better emotional development, social skills development, and mental health outcomes