1. Let your kids deal with challenges: Allow your children to find solutions to problems on their own. When you acknowledge the small frustrations they experience and help them understand them through conversation without rushing to assist, you teach them independence and resilience.
2. Discipline is not punishment: Enforcing boundaries is a way to teach children how to behave in the world and help them become people who can control their impulses and accept reality even when it's disappointing.
3. Play with your kids in anything: True, play is often structured and familiar, but you don't need to set boundaries on your children's world of play and imagination. Let them choose the activity, and even if it's unusual, don't worry about the rules; just go with it and enjoy it—that's the whole point!
4. Remember how important it is to tell the truth: Every parent wants to hear the truth from their kids, so it's important to give them the same example. Encourage your children to speak honestly and act with integrity by modeling similar positive behavior, making you a role model.
5. Live a bit greener: Show your kids how easy it is to care for the environment and explain that you are doing it for their future. Waste less, recycle, reuse, and save. Teach your kids that it's better not to rush to throw things away and that it's possible to live cleanly, economically, and wisely.
6. Hug and kiss in front of the kids: Parents' relationship is the most significant example of a relationship that children are exposed to. It's important to set a high standard and express affection so your children grow up with a positive relationship model they can aspire to in the future.
7. Give small praises for good behavior: When you notice that your child has done something helpful or kind, share what you saw from your perspective and praise the positive action. It's a great way to reinforce positive behavior, explain its benefits, and raise happier kids.
8. Share compliments about your kids: Sometimes what we hear indirectly has more impact than what is said directly, and this is true even in early childhood. Therefore, a good and effective way to reinforce positive traits and behaviors is to let your child "catch" or overhear you sharing compliments about them with grandma or close friends.
9. Give yourself permission to rest: When life is exceptionally busy and stressful, buying ready-made food because you're too tired to cook doesn't make you a bad parent. Remember, you need to take care of your own well-being for yourself and your children, so as long as it's a one-time event and not a regular pattern, allow yourself to rest a bit.
10. Learn to say "no" to additional commitments: Resist the urge to take on too many commitments at work or in any other setting if you feel it will significantly affect your quality time with the kids. Remember, you'll never regret spending time together laughing and enjoying each other, and neither will your kids—for a long time to come—unlike some workplaces.
16. Enjoy the little moments: As expected from such a hard role, parenting is probably the most exhausting job in the world. No matter how hard you try, you probably won't get to do everything you want, so don't let this nonstop grind prevent you from enjoying the little moments with the family. Maybe the house is messy and the laundry is thrown on the couch, but your child just laughed—so enjoy it!
17. Keep the TV only in the living room: Studies show that children with a TV in their room weigh more, sleep less, and have lower grades and social skills than kids who grew up without a TV in their room. Up to a certain age, it’s also a good idea to take away the cell phone at night, but remember, as they grow up, they deserve to regain that independence and privacy.
18. Really listen: When your children speak, give them your full attention—no phone, TV, or conversations with other people. Giving such focused attention strengthens the bond between parents and children and teaches them to listen to others.
19. Create family traditions: Small rituals like a family Friday dinner, movie nights, inside jokes, or a weekly trip create wonderful memories and a sense of belonging between the children and the family, especially with the parents who initiate these activities.
20. Present learning as an ongoing process: Most children don’t like to study at school, do homework, etc. This fact creates a lot of friction between parents and children that can be avoided by teaching children how many advantages there are to learning. Show them how to learn in a way that suits them, is enjoyable for them, and enriches them with knowledge that truly matters for their future.
21. Teach kids to use sunscreen: Our world is becoming a hotter place, and the sun's rays are much more harmful today than they were in the past. For this reason, it's important to accustom children to use sunscreen from an early age and teach them to protect their skin from a young age to prevent skin spots, wrinkles, and even diseases like skin cancer in old age.
22. Respect differences in parenting styles: You and your partner may have different principles for raising children, and that's perfectly fine as long as you respect each other's views and find a parenting approach that combines the things that matter to both of you. Try as much as possible to avoid disagreements in front of the kids and present a united front when making decisions about discipline or dealing with important events in your children's lives, like their first date and so on.
23. Limit screen time: Set clear boundaries for screen usage. Encourage other activities like reading, playing outside, or creative projects.
24. Love all your kids equally but treat them differently: If you have more than one child, remember that each child needs to receive love in a different way and understand that they are loved equally as the rest of the family. Some children may want to spend half an hour watching TV with you, while others may prefer a bedtime story. Both activities are acceptable, as long as they emphasize that you love all your kids in different but equal ways.
25. Love unconditionally: When parents show their children that they love them always, even during tough times or disagreements about their behavior, it builds self-confidence, a sense of belonging, and emotional stability—important building blocks for raising happy children that every parent should remember and adopt at every stage of life.
