Positive Parenting

There are three basic premises of positive parenting: empathy, communication and understanding. Although it may seem logical for every parent to view his or her child through these lenses, it is not as simple as it looks.  To be truly empathic means you will view every situation from your child’s perspective even if it involves an action that was seemingly done to annoy you. It means believing in the best even when your child’s behavior suggests something worse. It also means communicating sensibly even when you feel like shouting at the top of your voice. In the world of toddlerhood, this is easier said than done.

If it is so difficult to apply the principles of positive parenting, then what can you learn from it? Here are some of them:

• To view your toddler as a person with the same capacity to experience human emotions like an adult.
• To treat your toddler with the same respect you will accord another adult.
• To do your best to view situations (especially sticky ones!) from your toddler’s perspective before you react harshly on them.
• To keep your toddlers’ developmental level and skills in mind as you communicate and interact with them.
• To adjust your expectations to suit your toddler’s level of development.
• To communicate in a way that builds your toddler’s self-esteem and self-worth.
• To attempt to understand your toddler’s world through his or her eyes.
• To believe in the best about your child even when his or her behavior doesn’t live up to your expectations.                                                                                                                                                                   

Most parents love their children more than words can convey, but unknowingly, not all truly embrace parenthood for all its ups and downs. Positive parenting can help in this paradigm shift and lead parents like you to find more joy in parenting your toddler than you thought possible.