The worst thing that can happen is that you become your parents! Right? Remember thinking that you would never become like your parents, and when you grew up and had kids of your own, you’d be cool and hip, and your kids would love you. Then what happens? You become your parents right? All of the same things that stressed out your parents are now the same things that stress you out. Well, that’s okay things happen and now you realize why your parents were the way they are. The bottom line is you really want to be a good parent and here are seven solid tips that you can use to help improve your parenting skills.

1. Spend time with your children. Yes, life is tough and finding the time to spend with the kids is sometimes really hard to do. But at the end of the day kids really just want to spend time with their parents, and the parents have spent time with their kids are the ones that can make a very positive impact. If you have more than one child, find ways to spend time alone with each of your children. Make a habit of taking one child with you when you do the grocery shopping for instance so that you can spend some time alone together. Give each child a chance to feel special. In much the same way a neglected puppy becomes a problem puppy, your children need attention. You don’t need to spend money on them, you don’t need to find all kinds of things for them, you just need to be there with them.

2. Communicate with your children. They say that 90% of communication is listening, so listen. Be genuinely interested in whatever news they care to share with you about whatever might be happening at school or with their friends. Try not to have any preconceived notions your children talk to you. Sometimes you may want to jump into the conversation but your children well appreciated if you can just allow them to talk. Take the time to explain things to your children and give them reasons. Make sure they understand and when you need them to do something clearly outline your expectations. Involve your children in the discussion and be open with them. Parent soar able to express themselves to the children often have better relationships with them. Children who participate in decisions are more motivated to carry them out.

3. Build your child’s self-esteem. Be a cheerleader. If you have kids and they feel that you are rooting for them, and they’ll be loyal to you and look up to you. Your words and actions affect your child’s self-esteem. Praise your child’s accomplishments, no matter how small. Let your child do things independently. Be generous with your praise, but make sure that it is sincere. Look for the good and call attention to it. But that does not mean to ignore the problems either.

4. Discipline your child. Be consistent with discipline and set limits. When you set an expectation you need to make sure that you hold yourself accountable. Your children will be confused if you are inconsistent with their expectations. Established guidelines and follow them.

5. Be a good role model. Do not live by the model do as I say, not as I do. Children are smart and they pick up quickly on hypocritical behavior. The last thing you can do is say one thing and do another. Once you lose your credibility with your children it may be difficult or impossible to regain.

6. Show that your love is unconditional. As an effective parent, you are responsible for correcting and guiding your child. This child is you, and you are the child. There is a genetic and biological connection between the two of you. The matter what happens, your child will always be there and you will also be there. Understand that your child will make errors just like you did when you were growing up. There is a phrase and the phrase goes… It is what it is. Remember, there are things you can control and things you cannot control, make sure you know the difference.

7. Recognize your own needs and limitations. While you are a parent and they are your children, don’t ever forget that you are a special unique individual. You need your own space and you need to respect that and provided for yourself. You also need to teach your children that they need to respect you as an individual also. You are their parents, but you’re also a special and unique person. If you can get your children to understand that, and can respect your own private time while you respect theirs, ultimately you should have a great relationship.

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Entertaining kids can be tough sometimes. What should you do if you find yourself in charge of entertaining dozens of kids at some type of social gathering for a church activity, a company picnic, an elementary school field day, or a kids birthday party? Well there might be several ideas out there that could work but one activity that is relatively inexpensive, fairly simple to execute, and a hit with kids of all ages is kids face painting.

Have you ever met a kid that doesn’t want to get their face painted? I know I haven’t. We are all born with the desire to have a cool design painted right on our face. Okay…enough of the small talk.

Some of you may be asking, “what if I have never painted kids faces before?” That is a fair question that I will answer by saying, “It does not matter!”

My wife and I were asked to be in charge of a face painting booth at a summer church social. Up until that point neither of us had had the privilege of painting childrens’ faces before. It was a blast.

Did we paint every design requested perfectly? No. In some cases, not even close. Did all the kids love their face painting? Yes. Well…all except for the one little girl that asked for a bird and didn’t appreciate that it looked like a hieroglyphic! Needless to say we washed it off and painted a frog which I was getting really good at. Many kids got back in line to get a second or third design painted on another part of their face.

You don’t need to be a great artist to pull off a successful face painting session either. My wife and I just winged it and did just fine. I’m sure that if you took half an hour before hand to practice a few basic designs that you will find that you will not have any problems at all putting a smile on those kids’ faces.

You can find basic designs all over the internet or even in a child’s coloring book. If you are really nervous just stick to simple designs like: the sun wearing sunglasses, or a ladybug, or a rainbow, or a lightning bolt. Pretty soon you will feel confident in asking the children what they want painted on their face. When that happens, you will surprise yourself by your creative abilities.

If I can do it, then I am confident that you can. So get to it!

VanillaJoy.com is a blog that talks a lot about family fun ideas. Kids face painting is a great family activity. Come and read more about my experience with kids face painting.

Raising a child has never been easy and in fact it is one of the hardest job you will ever have. It is challenging, exciting, nerve-wracking but provides you with one of the most amazing experience you will ever have. Along with the joy of raising a child often comes self-doubt – the fear of doing something that is not right, the permanent psychological damage that you may cause your child, or a whole list of other things that could possibly go wrong. But relax! There are a few simple things that you can keep in mind to raise your confidence as a parent.

We all make mistakes even as parents and there is no such thing as a perfect parent. Keeping this in mind will take a great deal of pressure off. Simply do your best, expect hitches along the way and be prepared to deal with them. Understanding the stage of development that your child is in and knowing what to expect and expect the unexpected is great preparation. However, do remember that the worst may not happen! Your child may not be a reckless teenager.One important point to always remember is that all children are different so do not compare your child or parenting style with others. This will likely cause you unnecessary stress.

Do not always believe everything that the experts say. Certainly, many experts have loads of experience working with children of all sorts. However, do listen to what they have to say but do not take it as the final word. You as a parent know your child better than anyone else, and if a piece of advice does not seem right for your child, trust your parental instincts. You are most likely to be correct. What may have worked for others may not work for you, and that is okay. Very often, kind-intentioned friends and relatives are likely to offer their advices. Some of these might be useful and some not. Do not oblige and feel pressured to follow these advices as long as you feel that it is not right for your family situation. This understandably can be difficult especially in close relationships. However, by establishing those boundaries because you know what is best for your child will help to boost your confidence simply by knowing that you can determine what is best for you and stand up for it.

It may sound like old advice, but do spend time with your child. More and more studies have shown that children whose parents show an interest in them are better equipped to deal with some of life’s challenges. Spending time with your child also helps you to know your child better and in turn helps you to make better choices. It works well for all involved.

At the appropriate time, seek help when you need it. It may sound contradictory to the earlier statements but it is actually not so. When you know your child and understand his or her needs well, you are in a much better position to know what advice to accept and what to reject. When dealing with a difficult or serious situation, and feeling that it is out of your control, it is probably time to seek outside help. This does not necessarily mean that you have failed. On the contrary, it shows that you are confident enough in yourself and your parenting style to recognize that you may not have all the answers. Some of the situations like out of control behaviors and drug abuse require outside intervention. It is definitely alright to ask for help when you need it, so do not put yourself down if and when it happens.

At any one given moment, you are giving your best to your child and family, so do keep that in mind at all times. It is a fact that life does not always go smoothly all the time, and this is often most obvious in parenting. It is alright to make mistakes and admit them. And when your children see you doing this, you are showing them that a confident person is not perfect and that everyone makes mistakes from time to time. This in turn will help your children to feel more confident when they make mistakes as well.

Paul Hata is active in various community and social programs aimed at providing access to education and training to all. Access 1000s of Educational, Training and Degree Programs here – WorldChristianPages.com and ChristianWorldPages.com

It has often been said that what your child does at thirteen very much decides what he will be doing at thirty. And this does hold some truth! If a child learns to hold his head high no matter what comes, he will most certainly sow seeds of happiness, success and prosperity that he can reap when he becomes an adult. It is the duty of every parent to create an atmosphere where their child can learn to be self-confident, responsible and courageous. As parents, you have the duty to believe in his capability, encourage him to take initiative and you will be positively amazed at what he can do!

Be Self-Confident As A Parent
Children learn through imitation. As a child spends most of his time with his parents, he grow up becoming like them. Hence a self-confident parent unconsciously instills the self-confident nature as a life skill in the child. A child is a great observer and thus it has been said that a child is the father of man! Observation forms the first half of learning while doing forms the second half. So if he observes you idling, not completing your tasks on time, getting confused at the last hour and the resulting fights and bouts of your temper, he might never know the right way to handle situations. He will also most likely be struggling with ill habits like procrastination, laziness and indiscipline.

Give Time For Your Children
Spending time with your children is something that can never be over-emphasized. As working parents, it is often very tempting to place your child in a daycare so that you can have ample time for other chores. Many a time, we conjure up excuses of having to earn a living, providing the best for our child so on so forth to justify our actions. However, what the child needs most of all is you and your time. His treasures are the games you play with him. The long walks you share with him, the time you spent in tutoring him and the way you tell him what he means to you. This imbues a sense of security in the child that makes him automatically confident. He knows that he has nothing to worry about. Once your child gets strong and self-confident, he will not need your money, as he will have the aptitude and strength to go out and earn for himself. As the old proverb goes, give a fish to a man and you take care of him for one day. Teach a man how to fish and you take care of him for a lifetime. That is how it must be!

Be A Loveable Family
The best thing a father can do for his child is to love his mother. Nothing else works better. Should there be problems between you and your spouse, children are the ones who suffer the most. These little souls are very sensitive and watching parents yelling at each other cuts deeply into his heart and can create long lasting scars in them. A baby is the most amazing gift that nature can present to you – he is your flesh and blood. It is a great responsibility to take care of him. Love is the most basic essential ingredient of a home. For where there is love, happiness and prosperity is not far away.

Have Trust In Your Children
It is natural for parents to be concerned about the safety and security of your child. However, do make it a point that you do not overprotect him. It is not possible for you to be with him everywhere and he has a responsibility to make his mark in this world by himself. Faith is the best encouragement. Being trusted can at times be a greater compliment than being loved.

Entrust your child with small tasks. Nothing is as grand for a child than being given the responsibility to handle a task. He feels honored and his self-worth increases. Begin by guiding him to complete the task successfully and soon he will have his own unique way of handling things. Nature has given him wings of imagination so do not clip them. Encourage him and let him fly!

Paul Hata is active in various community and social programs aimed at providing access to education and training to all. Access 1000s of Educational, Training and Degree Programs here – WorldChristianPages.com and ChristianWorldPages.com