Parenting

This week in class we talked all about parenting. The idea and hope is to protect and prepare kids to survive and thrive in society. We talked about the four character traits that we need to establish in our kids.
Courage: going beyond risk to do the right thing. Respect: how we should treat a person. To elevate someone to a better and higher level. Responsibility: the ability to respond to opportunities and challenges. Developing wisdom and strength to carry through. Cooperation: effectively work together to accomplish a goal. These are essential values we hope to establish in children, but sometimes our approach on how to do that isn't always the most beneficial. But the most important thing to remember when teaching our children is to build a strong relationship with them. That will be the strongest most beneficial factor as they learn and grow. 
 Effective communication is so important when making strong relationships with our family and children. But that can also be one of the most difficult things to develop and takes time. We were required to watch some video from Active Parenting Publishers, which I recommend watching, and they talked about how we should communicate with others. Number one is listen. Pay attention to words, tone of voice, and nonverbal cues.
Second is to respond to feelings. When someone is talking to you, and they had a bad day, sympathize with them and what they're going through and the emotions they're feeling. Third is so check for understanding. Make sure you both are on the same page, and if there is a disagreement, do so in a calm manor.
There are three different styles of parenting, those are Autocratic, Permissive, and Active.
Permissive parents give their children too make freedom and no boundaries. This only creates unrealistic expectations for their children as they get a sense that they can get away with anything and have no limits.

Autocratic/Authoritarian parents are strict. They give little to no freedom to their children and have overly set boundaries. This does not help a child to develop the feeling they need of individualism and freedom they need as they grow into adults.
Active parents are engaged, loving, and are interested in their children's lives. They set limits and boundaries but allow their children to have the freedom they need within those boundaries to establish that sense of
individualism.
What's going to matter the most in the end is a relationship motivated by love and respect in a family.