Parenting

Parenting has been described as the world´s toughest job. It is true. Babies do not come with an insctruction manual and parents have to go by experience and instinct. It is a job where you do not receive a salary, instead, you pay for the privilege, from baby gear to help with higher education costs and may be their first car, even their first house. Parents want to improve their parenting skills and learn how to cater to all their children needs and more, giving them the emotional and financial support they require while having still some time for themselves. What's more, parents invest time and money in large doses to raise their kids and they need patience and understanding in even larger amounts;even so, no one can predict the outcome. There are traditional and not so traditional methods. Parents need to sort out which style they would use to lead their offspring through the path of life to become the brilliant, balanced, fun loving adults they can be. Some times children are difficult or want to test their boundaries and parents face the task of imparting discipline and punishments with objectivity. This is not the only hurdle. Life brings problems on its own. Sometimes ther is grief to shake the children’s magic world, and parents need to help them cope. Parents need to teach about responsibility, natural and logical consequences, how to deal with their siblings –including rivalry problems- and how to deal with strangers while nurturing the child’s independence and self confidence. Telling stories is not enough. Parents need to learn how to listen actively in order to communicate effectively with their children. First, they have to communicate with each other and agree how to share their authority. Children feel lost when parents disagree, and both, mother and father, have an important role in raising the progeny. Grandparents may the greatest help or a hindrance. Their role is something to put into perspective.