We all want to be the best parents we can be for our children, but there is often conflicting advice on how to raise a kid who is confident, kind, and successful. And every aspect of being a parent has been more complicated and fraught during the pandemic, with parents managing complex new assignments and anxious new decisions while handling the frequent questions that come up in daily life with the children we love. Throughout the circus act of parenting, it’s essential to focus on balancing priorities, juggling responsibilities, and quickly flipping between the needs of your children, other family members, and yourself. Modern parents have the entire internet and don’t follow any single authority. It’s hard to know whom or what to trust. Here, we’ll talk about how to help your child grow up to be someone you really like without losing yourself.
Research tells us that to raise a self-reliant child with high self-esteem, it is more effective to be authoritative than authoritarian. You want your child to listen, respect, and trust you rather than fear you. You want to be supportive but not a hovering helicopter parent.
These things are easy to set as goals but hard to achieve. How do you find the right balance?
As your child develops, the challenges will change, and you’re thinking may evolve. Still, your approach should be consistent, firm, and loving. Help your child learn through experience that trying builds confidence and helps you learn to tackle challenges. Calibrate your expectations about what your child can do independently, whether you have an infant learning to sleep through the night, a toddler helping to put toys away, or an older child resolving conflicts.
Remember, there is no right way to raise a child. Do your best, trust yourself, and enjoy the company of the small person in your life.