Purposeful Parenting: Building Strong Kids & Families
In today’s world, it’s more important than ever for parents to be engaged and focused with raising their kids to build strong, positive and functional families.
Engaged, focused parenting helps children become successful, independent adults. Purposeful parenting helps kids grow to achieve and enjoy enriching lives; develop strength, resilience, confidence and vibrancy; demonstrate empathy toward others and become active contributing members of their communities; transition successfully into young adulthood; and raise strong families of their own.
July is designated National Purposeful Parenting Month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS.) As summer break from school brings families together more frequently, your local Capital Women’s Care team offers important purposeful parenting tips to help build strong kids and families while establishing a positive, nurturing foundation for kids to enjoy enriching, fulfilling lives.
What Is Purposeful Parenting?
Parents are their children’s first teachers, an important job that establishes the cornerstones of accepted actions and behaviors and begins your children’s character development. Behaviors and actions greatly impact and determine a child’s decisions and choices they make throughout their journey along life’s abundant pathways. Therefore, it’s important for parents to maintain consistency and clarity with teaching expectations and consequences regarding appropriate and expected behaviors and actions. Purposeful parenting essentially focuses on your children’s growth in the best way possible so they can flourish throughout their development.
Involving open communication between parents and kids, purposeful parenting gives parents opportunities to explain their feelings on various issues while supporting their children’s growth and eventual independence.
Purposeful parenting incorporates positive parenting techniques, including maintaining mutual respect and in-depth open communication that clearly outlines parental expectations and consequences. It also explains the reasons behind expected behaviors to help children understand and move toward developing positive self-control and self-discipline, key elements of maturity as they transition toward becoming young adults. There’s less potential for confusion and likelihood of argument, important elements of establishing a positive home atmosphere.
The American Academy of Pediatrics lists the following six Ps of purposeful parenting:
Purposeful – Set long-term goals for your parenting plan. Discover the purpose behind your child’s behavior and help them improve. Be intentional and nurture their skills.
Protective – Make sure you meet your child’s basic needs: food, shelter and sleep. Help your child feel like they can trust you. Be available to address their concerns and questions.
Personal – Be kind and gentle when communicating and develop a strong personal relationship that demonstrates unconditional love and acceptance of your child. Always be kind and gentle when communicating.
Progressive – As your child progresses so should your parenting techniques. Engage your child with meaningful conversations.
Positive – Promote positive thinking. Build confidence by offering encouraging comments or rewarding your child’s efforts to improve.
Playful – Keep a playful spirit. Playing with your children fosters a learning environment that strengthens your relationship. Allow them to be creative.
10 Tips for Purposeful Parenting
The following tips can help parents encourage their children’s growth and success:
- Take care of yourself. Self-care is vital for you to be the best parent possible for your child. While prioritizing your child and others can become the norm, planning for designated “me time” helps you maintain the best parenting mindset. It’s not selfish to initiate or request a break.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself. Achieving and maintaining perfection is impossible and unhealthy. Humans aren’t perfect. Model expected behavior for your children to follow. Show them life is about doing your best, not being the best. There are plenty of parenting ups and downs. It’s important to keep positive and moving forward.
- Integrate and maintain a support system. Connect with other parents through support groups or parenting programs to locate a support system to help you during parenting struggles. Sharing experiences with others in similar situations helps everyone who participates.
- Seek help if necessary. Raising children can become overwhelming and it’s important to reach out for help. Recognizing needing help and doing the best thing for your mental well-being and your child signifies you’re a strong parent.
- Engage your child in open discussions. Define goals for their unique success based on their individual strengths, interests and abilities.
- Let your child know what to expect. Set forth clear expectations of their behavior, chores, interactions with others and household rules, as well as the consequences for not meeting those expectations.
- Allow your child to have a voice. From establishing goals and boundaries to negotiating disagreements, giving your children a position within the family lets them know their opinions and views are important and heard.
- Maintain consistency. Sticking to established rules can deter future bad behaviors. This doesn’t mean you forgo spontaneity for rigidity, but maintain specified boundaries, from a consistent bedtime to consequences for bad behavior, sets realistic expectations and outcomes.
- Follow same behaviors and expectations you set forth for your kids. Parents need to practice what they preach to be an effective teacher and maintain their children’s respect. Don’t expect actions and behaviors from your children if you’re unable to commit to them yourself.
- Enjoy the moment and be present. When you’re together, be engaged with your kids. Even if it’s only a small amount of time each day, prioritize the time to give your kids your undivided attention daily.
Your Capital Women’s Care team of women’s health professionals is here to address your concerns or questions about parenting or any women’s health issue. Our empathetic, knowledgeable professionals offer comprehensive health services, care and treatment so you and your family members enjoy optimal health and a long quality life.
Sources:
https://parenting.kars4kids.org/purposeful-parenting-month-time-learn-grow/
https://acendahealth.org/blog/purposeful-parenting-month/
https://www.safy.org/purposeful-parenting-month-2017/
https://arfamiliesfirst.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-purposeful-parenting/
https://www.stahancyk.com/blog/purposeful-parenting-month
https://osceolagenerations.org/july-is-recognized-as-purposeful-parenting-awareness-month/
https://www.mindpath.com/resource/parenting-is-hard/
https://eac-network.org/purposeful-parenting-month/
https://searhc.org/10-ways-to-be-a-better-parent/
https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/8-ways-to-be-a-better-parent/
https://blogs.va.gov/VAntage/92073/purposeful-parenting-what-can-you-accomplish/
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