1 . Your kids are not your own. They were given to you as a gift from God and it is a privilege to have every second you have with them. Don't raise them begrudgingly. Don't complain about your time with them. Don't be constantly waiting for their current stage to be over so you can get to the next one. Enjoy every minute of this stage.
2. Your kids don't take your mistakes as hard as you do. For real. So many times you are beating yourself up over something that they don't even remember you doing. If you just lost it and yelled at your 3-year-old? Chances are they are not going to remember it by the time they are 10. Apologize when you need to, and always keep communication open. Then - give yourself a little bit of a break!
3. Your kids need need you to laugh. And I mean just really laugh. Laughter is contagious. It makes you smile even if you don't want to. Let them hear you laugh a lot.
I get it...life is serious. Pain is serious. But life is also full of joy if you look for it. Don't confuse them into believing that once you are an adult you don't have time to just laugh and enjoy life.
Did you read that? Enjoy life. Period.
Just take the time to enjoy your life for crying out loud! Especially when you are with your family. Show them your loud, obnoxious, snorting laugh. It will make everything a little more fun.
4. Your kids need to know that you are not perfect, and that you are aware of that. No one appreciates an arrogant person who acts like they never do anything wrong. Admit when you make mistakes. Be ready to say you are sorry. Teach your kids humility by acting humble. You are not fooling them anyways, so your humility will go a long way.
5. Your kids want rules. I know, I know. They are not going to say it now. They may not even understand many of them now, but remember something...
Boundaries with love create protection, security and strength for your kids.
If you are giving your kids rules with an explanation of your why, they are going to appreciate it...even if it's not until later in life.
If you give them rules because you're on a power trip? Not so much.
Know your reasons for your rules, and be ready to stay firm in those rules. Your kids need that, and it will make them secure and show them how loved they are.
Now... I could come up with much more than 5 things that would be helpful for parents to remember!
But I thought I would just give 5 simple ones that will make your home run a lot more smoothly.
Try putting these into practice this week, and see what a difference it will make.
And then record yourself laughing obnoxiously and send it to me so I can laugh too!
Happy Parenting!
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