The impact that having an involved, caring father can have on a child’s life cannot and should not be underestimated. Children who have an involved father, step-father, or another father figure in their lives tend to be happier, healthier, and more successful than those who don’t. If you want to be the very best dad that you can be for your kids, try some of these simple ideas. You’ll both have more fun and will be able to form a closer, special bond that will be rewarding for you both for years to come.
Respect Your Child’s Other Parent
When children can see that their parents respect each other, they are much more likely to feel that they are respected too. Seeing the adults that they live with treating each other with respect and approaching any family challenges by cooperating and showing empathy will teach your children good examples of relationship building too. If you’re still in a relationship with your child’s other parent, make sure your child sees you caring for each other, talk to each other respectfully at home, and make sure you’re working as a team. Your child will feel more secure and will learn good behavior for their own relationships later on.
If you’re separated, being respectful is still important. No matter what your feelings are, do not speak badly of their other parent to your child. This is distressing for them to hear. You still need to be a parenting team and find a way to work together that works for your children.
Spend Time With Your Children
If you find that you’re always busy and saying no to your kids when they want to do something with you, they will feel neglected, even if you’re busy with something important. Scrolling through your phone while your kids play nearby is not the same as spending time with them either. Set aside some time for interacting with them and find ways to spend quality time together where you’re both engaged in the activity, whether you watch a movie together, play in the garden together, or buy some toys that you’ll both enjoy playing with like a Lego City set. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you are actively involved and make some proper time for your kids.
Earn The Right To Be Heard
Talk to your kids right from when they’re very young, and talk to them about lots of different things, even before they can really understand you. This makes them feel important and loved, and can help them to develop their early communication skills. When your child talks to you, make sure you listen to them, whether they’re telling you a story, sharing their ideas, or asking you about a problem they’re having.
If you can establish an open dialogue early on, and feel as though you will listen to them and take them seriously, they will be more likely to talk to you when they get older too. This can help to keep your relationship strong during the turbulent teen years and help you to feel confident they’re being responsible.
Discipline With Love
All children need discipline, not for punishment, but to set limits and to help them learn consequences. Dads who can discipline in a calm, fair manner are showing their love. Children are perceptive and they will pick up on the social cues you show them. They’ll quickly learn the difference between discipline and punishment. Discipline could include household rules that everyone follows, such as limits on screen time, banning phones from the dinner table, or helping with household chores.
Be a Role Model
Whether you realize it or not, you are a role model to your kids. You can teach your children how to live with honesty, humility, and responsibility. How you behave will inform how your children treat others and expect others to treat them as they grow up too.
Think carefully about the behavior that you model in front of your children and what kind of message you’re sending them. They will learn from everything you do, whether you work as a team with your spouse, talk badly about yourself, always put lots of effort into your job, or spend every night sitting in front of video games. What kind of person do you hope your child will grow up to be? Try your hardest to be that kind of person, so your child can learn from you.
Be a Teacher
If you can teach your children about right and wrong and encourage them to do their best, you can see them grow up to make better choices. Don’t worry about perfection, as nobody is perfect. Connection is more important than always being perfect. You can just use everyday examples to teach the basic lessons of life, whether it’s being polite to others, helping around the house, study skills for homework, or any other important life skills. This is connected to being a role model, as you can teach many of these behaviors by example. Share your skills and experience to help your children grow up to be well-rounded, accomplished adults.
Eat Together as a Family
Eating together can be a big part of family life. It can give your children the chance to talk about what they’re up to and for you all to spend time together. Dinner time is a good excuse for some family time. Ban phones from the table, and instead use the time to talk about your day and ask your child about theirs. Use meals to spend time together.
Read To Your Children
Read to your children from a young age. Even babies will benefit from the time a parent spends reading to them. Instilling a love of reading will also help your children to grow later in life, both personally and professionally. Reading together can create some treasured memories and help your children to develop their communication skills from a very young age.
No comments:
Post a Comment