Parenting Step Children
Step children - a Challenge
Parenting is a most fulfilling and gratifying undertaking, but it can also be one of the most difficult and challenging task for anyone. The task becomes doubly difficult when you are a step parent. Although parenting is basically the same whether you are raising your own child or a step child there is that added ingredient of having to contend with the shadow of another ”parent” that your step child lost either to death or to divorce.
Parenting a one year old step child is also very much different from parenting a teenage step child or even step children of school age. A baby has no memory of their real parent, so there is no basis of comparison, but older children, particularly those in their teens are another story. For one thing, they may still be suffering from the loss of a parent and of their first family. And when step children who are products of a divorce are still harboring that hope and dream that their real parents will still get together, your entry into the picture will be regarded as the main obstacle for that hope and dream, making you enemy number one in their eyes.
Despite all these, becoming a good parent to a step child is still possible. It won’t be easy nor will it happen overnight but it can be done step by slow step. The first thing to remember in creating a bond or relationship with a step child is to make them realize that you are not there to replace the parent that they’ve lost. Assuming that role will assuredly meet violent resistance and may cause your relationship with your step child irreparable damage. In the eyes of a child, no one can replace the parent that they’ve lost.
Instead strive to build a wholesome and healthy relationship first with your step child. Support your partner in raising their children without imposing your own rules and brand of discipline. Be there for them as a friend, supportive and encouraging. As a step parent you can have an enormous influence in the life of your step child and a solid and genuine relationship based on mutual respect can be beneficial both to your step child and to you.
How to be a Good Parent to a Toddler
Parenting Tip to Disciple Toddlers
The toddlers’ age is one of the most trying stages of a child’s development for parents. This is the age when children are more hyper active, very curious and inquisitive, excessively demanding, prone to tantrums and totally unreasonable in their demands. Life is never the same in a family with a toddler.
Disciplining toddlers is very challenging for parents. But it is the right time to discipline children. This is the age when children start testing the limits of their parents’ patience. When proper discipline is not learned at this age, it will be doubly difficult as they grow older.
Here are some tips on how to discipline toddlers and be a good parent to them:
Set boundaries and limits:
Parents must set rules and implement the rules both with firmness and consistency. It is important that the rules are simple and are made clear and understandable to them. Limits are important in ensuring the security and safety of the child since this is the age when they are more curious and adventurous. An example would be the wearing of a jacket when going out to play; the rule is no jacket no play. At first there will be tantrums, ignore the tantrums and be firm. After some time they will learn that if they want to play outdoors they need to put on a jacket.
Provide the right environment
When setting limits parents should also provide the right environment. Hang the jacket in a place accessible to the toddler so that when they need it they can get it themselves. When prohibiting the toddler to stick objects in electric sockets, these sockets should be covered with tapes that will not be easily removed by them. The right environment will not only protect them it will also allow the toddler to be a child and give them the opportunity to mature and grow.
Give toddlers the proper encouragement
When they do right, appreciate them. They will realize that when they follow the rules they get more attention. A pat on the back, a smile, a hug or a “great guy” comment will go a long way in making the toddler follow the rules.
