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There are many things in life that need to be nurtured. For instance, house plants need to be taken special care of to thrive. Whether it is a succulent that doesn’t need much water but plenty of sunlight, or a bird’s nest fern that is high maintenance and needs lots of moisture and humidity; a certain degree of nurturing is necessary for a plant to thrive. Of course, the same can be said for children. These little humans need plenty of love, care, and nurturing so they can be respectful, caring, cooperative, and eventually grow into the best big humans they can be.
Have you asked yourself, What is positive parenting? or What is nurturing parenting training?Keep reading to learn more about how you can be a nurturing parent.
As cliché as this may sound, please believe that this is a very important tip, and arguably the most important one in this entire blog. The best way for you to ensure that you can nurture your child is to make sure you are nurtured yourself. After all, how can you pour into your “mini me” if you are falling apart?
As a parent, you must make sure that you are taking care of your whole self: body, mind, and soul. You can help yourself by being regularly active, even if it’s just taking daily walks. You can also work on having a healthy diet. Don’t hesitate to confide in someone you trust so you can clear your mind and get advice where needed. If you need to speak to therapist, please look into finding one who can help you work towards becoming more mentally sound. Lastly, find ways to feed your soul. Whether it’s by meditating or regularly attending church services, your soul is not a part of you that should be abandoned.
Don’t underestimate the power of putting yourself in your child’s shoes. You may be thinking that they can’t possibly be stressed, but children are people too. They experience the same emotions as us adults, and they deserve just as much empathy as anyone else.
One way to be empathetic to your child is to recognize your child’s emotions. When they become distant, what does it really mean? Maybe they are stressed, confused, or upset about something. When you are able to recognize their emotions, you can incorporate the next way to be an empathetic parent, which is to understand the motives of your child’s behavior. Your child possibly becomes distant when they are confused because they do not know how to ask for help, or they are worried about being judged for not understanding something. These are important things to be aware of so you can help your child. Everything is not as it seems, especially when dealing with kids. Being an empathetic parent can really help you help your child.
Have you ever snapped at someone, and you can’t quite put your finger on why you did it? Or maybe you’re very irritable but don’t know why, and everyone must suffer because of it. When you are aware of your feelings and understand them, you are able to take the appropriate steps to deal with them. Maybe you just need to spend a few moments by yourself or talk to a close friend. Maybe you’re tired and need to take a nap. Whatever the reason for your feelings, it is important to understand them so you can do what’s necessary to deal with them in an appropriate manner.
Unfortunately, many parents are misinformed about what effective discipline is. While what is effective may differ depending on the child, discipline CANNOT be beaten into, imposed, or forced on children. Instead, children best develop discipline by modeling what they see from their parents. When a child admires you, they want to follow your lead, and if you are a disciplined individual, your child will most likely model that. Here are some other ways to utilize effective discipline at home:
When you have unrealistic expectations for your child, you are pretty much setting them up for failure. How can a child ever do a good job if the job expectation is way too high? A child’s feelings of worth are lowered when they are expected to meet demands that feel impossible. Having expectations has the same effect. So, it is important to let your child know what you expect from them, and for it to be realistic.
You also want to make sure that you are not comparing your child to other children. Nobody is a winner when that is done, not to mention how unfair that is. All children are different and have different strengths and weaknesses. It would be in their best interest to pour into their strengths, and help them develop their weaknesses in a loving way.
I just talked about something that deteriorates your child’s self-worth, so let me tell you some ways to build it up.
One way is to make sure you understand the developmental stages of children and teens. This will help you know what is common for their age, and what skills to help them work on developing. If you do not know much about developmental stages, fear not, for there are plenty of free resources online and in the library.
Something that will help with your young one’s self worth is the use of gentle touch. Do not underestimate the power of cuddles and hugs! Gentle touch contributes towards positive brain development. It also helps children develop the ability to form trusting, healthy relationships throughout life. Gentle touch also contributes toward your child having a positive view of their body.
One other suggestion to incorporate into your routine is to hype your child up and encourage them to do the same for themselves. Tell them how creative, smart, funny, kind, and beautiful they are regularly. Teach them how to look into the mirror and speak loving words to themselves.
The last tip I have is for you to just go for it. Enter the wondrous world of being a nurturing parent. It is a lifestyle, so it will take a lot of dedication, but I’m pretty sure we can agree that it is totally worth it. If you need guidance on becoming a nurturing parent, please do not hesitate to use resources that are available to you, whether it be through a mentor, or research. You may even want to find a community or accountability partner who can help you come up with solutions and encourage you to stay true to the nurturing lifestyle. Even when things get difficult, don’t give up. Stick to it, and I’m sure the outcome will be wonderful.
Throughout this article I highlighted eight ways for you to be a nurturing parent towards your young one. What is the primary aim of parenting education? These are just a few ways you can be a nurturing parent. As you continue to do research on this topic, I’m sure you will find other great tips. I wish you all the best as you embark on this journey. If you are looking for more resources or a community of parents and mentors to help you along the way, please visit us at Empowerment Resources Inc. We would be more than happy to help you on your journey.
Content referenced from Nurturing Parenting® Programs curriculum.
Madison Beckford, Author
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