What is positive parenting?

Positive parenting techniques is an approach that promotes a positive and supportive environment for a family. It focuses on raising confident children with emotional connections and offers a chance to develop their own talents by expressing themselves. This approach unfolds the habit of children where they like to share and be tolerant, so it helps them solve their problems positively.

Why does it matter?

This approach can help children to develop self-esteem, independence, and trustful relationships. This style works best if parents demonstrate to them what they want to see in them. Being positive, interactive, and encouraging them actually can bring up open conversations about their thoughts and feelings, and it creates a safe space and better mental health. Positive parenting techniques has given better results in parenting

How is it effective?

• Develops emotional Connections
• Setting age-appropriate boundaries and expectations
• Practice effective communication
• Encourage healthy lifestyle habits
• Power of praise

Develop emotional Connections

In the growing phase, children experience a massive range of emotions, but they are not aware of how to manage them. So we, the parents, should recognise and guide them in healthy, positive ways. Always remember, Nobody can do better than us. Encouraging emotional intelligence will make the child understand, accept, and cope with challenges. Better emotional health will lead to a strong, resilient child. It helps them to show empathy towards others and creates self-awareness. Nurturing empathy and kindness in children will make them grow as compassionate individuals who care, share, and value other people’s emotions.

Set age-appropriate boundaries

Children need freedom to explore more, but we also need to keep them out of harmful things. Setting clear and reasonable expectations can be tricky for them, but it is in our hands how we define the boundary. Enforcing boundaries creates the right environment and gives them the privilege of expressing their emotions. Boundaries should be explained when they are set and why they are important. And they should know when they cross the line, it is no longer safe and acceptable. setting boundaries is important in Positive parenting techniques

Key ways to practice effective communication

Use gentle language for sharing and expressing feelings. It helps children develop emotional intelligence. To develop good communication, then pay attention to their words and understand what they want. “Active listening before speaking” really works like wonder. They listen to you as much as you listen to them. Making time for open conversation and having regular check-ins of everyday activities will make them share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Amidst our busy lives, these timely conversations make the bond stronger. Remember, “Quality conversation matters more than quantity.” Even short interactions with undivided attention create a large positive impact on a relationship.

Promote a balanced and Healthy lifestyle

Nurturing Healthy eating, sleeping patterns, and lifestyle choices will help for cognitive function and emotional well-being. Balanced food supports overall body function, giving them more energy and stamina to perform throughout the day. Hence, plan the nutritious meals every day. Educate them about nutrition and its importance and involve them in meal planning and preparation. See, there will always be breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the daily schedule, right? Then why not enjoy at least any of the meals together in this busy world? “Do shopping together,” “cook together,” eat together, and clean up the mess together.”And yes, boundary plays a role here also. That is, limit access to packed and processed foods.”

Setting a strong foundation of healthy eating will lead them to maintain it lifelong. And coming to sleep, quality sleep is a must!!! Healthy sleep habits play a vital role in physical, mental, and overall development.Quality sleep promotes cognitive, memory, and problem-solving skills. This comes from a few strategies, like a consistent sleep routine and a friendly environment with fewer stimulants before bedtime.

Praise words are vitally important

First of all, positivity comes from home. To achieve it, a little bit of patience and effective praise are required. Praising children for their efforts goes far beyond discipline. Positive parenting techniques patterns work on attention and acknowledge them for their behaviour. “Any attention is better than no attention.” Praising words should be genuine and specific, not simply saying like “good job” or “well done.” Let them feel that they are loved and valued. For example, to make them feel confident? Say like, I am proud of you. You are doing a great job. I know you can do it

To encourage them to try new things? Say, I know you are shy, but I believe in you. Let’s do this activity together. And we all know that we can’t be perfect all the time and consider them also. Even if they have made a mistake. Just relax your mind. Instead of harsh words, try to focus on what they can learn from the situation.

How to calm an angry child positively?

Handling children when they misbehave is not a tough job. Just calm down your mind, Take a breath 
and don’t get angry. This is the situation where soft language is needed. First, find a reason why they are behaving like this and come up with the right solution. They give their response from the feedback they receive from you. For example, if your child is throwing things at home. Say to them with a gentle tone, “Can we move these toys aside to keep ourselves safe?“

Always remember that the words you speak to your child will be their inner voice. Use phrases like, Let’s try it together. “I am there for you to help or sort out this.” These positive parenting techniques sentences can make a big difference in them.

Role of parents in shaping your child?

First, prioritise what you need from them and what they need from you  and then start accordingly   

One of the most essential points is always to think from a child’s perspective. When you are with a child, behave like a child. Be a child when talking with them, and give them comfort and friendly support when they require it. First make them feel comfortable and take them to their favourite Carnatic music, play chess, whatever they like—make them feel more connected with you.

Don’t punish them for their mistakes. Making them take that opportunity for learning and correcting and keep trusting in them and maintaining consistency throughout the day is crucial.

What not to do in positive parenting?

• Having too many rules.
• Many rejections.
• Using threat words to make them stop.

Create positive discipline at home.

Spend more quality time with them so that they start sharing all their joys and sorrows with you. If not, then there is a communication gap. Then they start sharing with others, and they can misguide them. Family quality time is not watching TV together, sitting with them, and doing tasks like using the mobile or lap. Sometimes we are busy with work, so we leave them at sports, chess, or abacus class, etc. Family quality time is togetherness. It’s gadget-free, and you should pay attention to your kids. Just put down everything and show them they are your priority. Here are some ideas to have good quality time with your sweet family.

Set dinner time is gadget-free, and enjoy your meal time to share your daily stuff and other plans. Do volunteer them to work on house chores and appreciate and convey how proud you are of the child. Take your child to leave them at school before heading to work.

Waking up half an hour early to leave them at school will be a worthy feeling. Use your weekends for short trips or try a new meal together at home. Take pictures, create memories, and have fun together. Set up a book reading time where you read storybooks together or share a moral story that you have read in a book already. Do any activity together that you all can enjoy together, like painting, crafts, etc.

Key Takeaways:

Every family and their routines are different from place to place, and it’s also based on their work. For positive parenting, routine should be developed and maintained regularly.

Successful Routine = confidence + Independence

So create a positive parenting techniques that suits you well and follow it consistently. There is no such rule as positive parenting techniques, which means you need to follow all this stuff. Just try implementing a few and see how it goes, and modify a few others based on your needs.

As parents, we juggled into daily routines, office work, and many more. This Hurry-Burry life not only impacts our child but also our quality time. Over time, they engage and pursue their lives. So spend time with them and look for positive moments together, and continue to raise a confident child with positive behaviour so that you remember the childhood years as the most cherished years, not the stressful ones.

My previous blog for some insights on gentle parenting. And also, I do have some reference pages about positive parenting techniques. Please click here for more insights.

Happy Parenting!

We appreciate you for improvising your parenting skills.