Making sure that you come off as authoritative to your children is one of the hardest parts of being a parent. However, it is something necessary so that they follow you. While there is no formula on how to be a good parent, you can make sure that you do the best that you can to raise them to be happy and healthy children. With so many problems that you have to face in the world, below are some ways how to be an authoritative parent that might just help you out.
Make sure that you listen
One of the most important things that you need to do is to listen to your children. If you want your opinion to matter to your children, you need to let them know that their opinion matters to you as well. Basically, listen to your children and let them know that you are hearing them. You want to be able to give them the attention they need so that you will not have any problems in regard to their behavior. Listening and communication are the keys when it comes to anything between you and your children.
Give them validation
One of the things that you should not say to your children is that they should stop feeling something they feel. You need to ensure that you are going to validate their emotions. You want to understand what they are feeling and instead of telling them not to feel the way they feel, show them that what they feel is normal and that what their feeling is absolutely okay. It is okay for them to feel the way they do but still be able to correct the way they act. It is okay for them to feel angry, but you need to let them know what happens if they act on the anger that they feel. If you invest your time in teaching them how to deal with their emotions, it is going to go a long way for them.
Consider how they feel
Another thing is that you need to consider their feelings. A good way how to be an authoritative parent is to ensure that you are going to be able to show your kid that you are the one in charge but also allow them to know that they are always part of the decision-making. You want to know how they feel, but you do not want to allow them to make decisions they are not ready for. You want them to feel very secure that you are going to be able to make decisions as an adult, and when they see you doing that, this will further motivate them to do the right thing when it is their turn.
Establish rules
The best way to be an authoritative parent is to make sure that there are always rules in your home. This means that you ought to allow your kid to know the reason for the things you say. For example, if you want them to go to sleep, you should tell them that it is for their growth instead of saying that they should sleep just because you want them to. When your kid learns about the reason that you ask them to do the things that you do, it will help them understand better why things are set in place, and this also allows you to establish your authority in your house better. You want to ensure that you are going to be able to set things better in your home, after all.
Allow them to live with the consequences
While you do not want your kids to suffer for their mistakes, you want them to see that some bad choices can bring them into bad situations. Thus, the best way to teach them things is to let them live with the consequences. For example, if they do not sleep when you ask them to and instead keep on playing with their video games, you can ban them from using the video game for some time. You want to show them that there will always be consequences for the things they do so they are able to understand better how things work. You want them to learn from their mistakes but also allow them to know that these things are not because of who they are but only because of the wrong choices they have made.
Incentives are okay
If you are still thinking about ways how to be an authoritative parent, this one might help you out. This is not going to spoil your child, so you do not have to worry about it.t his can be something that would give them the chance to earn their keep. For example, if they refuse to sleep on their bed, you can offer them some stickers every time that they sleep on their bed. Or you can allow them the use of cellphone when they get a good grade at school. Positive reinforcement is a great way for you to show that you are in charge but still very much considerate of your kid.
Let them make their choices
An authoritative parent allows their kids to make choices; whether it is very little, they would appreciate it if they have a say on something. For example, you can ask them whether to clean their room before or after they have played with their toys or something like that. However, you want them to have their own responsibilities, such as making sure that they do it on their own, like brushing their teeth, getting ready for school, and more. You want them to learn to handle their responsibilities while still giving them enough freedom for themselves.
At the end of the day, the key how to being an authoritative parent starts with knowing when to say no to your kid. You have to balance giving them freedom and allowing them to be responsible and owning up to their actions. If you are able to do that, you will be able to allow them to understand what to do when they grow up.
How to be a good parent – Please read this article and give me your opinion and your thoughts!
