Enjoy every moment you have with your kids, because once they hit middle school, they’re largely gone.
Write a poem to your child every year on their birthday. Also keep a family diary and/or a diary of your observances of and feelings for each child.
Take tons of photos, and just put them into a box.
Make a videotape for each kid of all their musical performances, from when they start playing an instrument. Those are videos you’ll actually want to watch.
Teach your kids to put their head under the water early (by age two).
Require your kids to learn the skills the can only learn well as children – piano, ballet, foreign language.
Cultivate family traditions.
Have family meetings regularly.
Have family work parties – cleaning, cooking, bread baking, gardening.
Take vacations.
Do not put children in daycare if it can possibly be avoided: work less, have a relative care for the children, take child to work with you.
Parent with a combination of Attachment Parenting (William Sears and others) and Tough Love (John Rosemond, Gregory Bodenhamer and others).
Certain mundane things must be emphasized: brushing teeth, picking up after self.
Achieve a balance in how much you control your kids. Give clear advice and recommendations; but it may be best to leave what they do up to them (especially as they get older).
Don’t worry about children “not eating enough.” It’s a good habit to acquire. Conversely, don’t let kids eat desserts instead of meals. Only after meals.
“Just this once” can be a useful strategy that avoids wars.
Don’t let kids give in to their fears. Require them to do things that are a good idea, even if they’re scared (of course help prepare them in every way you can, and be sympathetic).
Parenting is a balance of learning from your children, loving and having fun with them, and battling with them to get them to do the right thing.
Other favorite childrearing book authors: Linda & Richard Eyre..
Leave a Reply