There is no one way to be a good parent, which is one of the reasons why parenting might be one of the hardest jobs there is. Parenting is difficult, messy, time consuming and exhausting, which is why no parent is ever going to be one hundred percent perfect (though it is understandable that you would want to work towards that goal). Therefore, instead of aiming for perfection, the only thing you can realistically do is always to aim at being the best parent you can be, so here are some tips to help you to continue doing just that.

Be a good role model

Children, especially young children, model a lot of their behaviors on you, so whatever lessons you want your children to learn, you have to demonstrate actively. For example, if you want your children to grow up kind and caring, then you need always to be displaying kind and caring behaviors in front of them.

Prioritize your own health and wellbeing

Looking after your health is important for making sure you are in the best state possible to look after your family. Not only that, but If you don’t want your children to display the negative health habits when they grow older, you need to overcome these issues: whether for you that means eating better, cutting down on smoking, or even getting opiate addiction treatment, the sooner you fix these problems, the better for you and your children.

Shower them with love

Love is the biggest thing that children respond to, because they can tell which emotions are being displayed to them through your tone, body language and words. No material gift can replace the love of a parent, so as long as you are spending as much quality time with your kids as you can, you are doing parenting right.

Use positive parenting

Children respond to positive experiences a lot more than negative ones, so try and make all experiences in their life more positive, even when you are disciplining them.

Communicate on their level

Clear communication with children is really important, and that means listening a lot more than it does talking. Often children can have difficulties expressing themselves, but by being patient and getting down on their level, you provide them with the ability to grow and become more articulate, and it also shows that you respect them.

Garner trust from your kids

Children value consistency, and this is something which is important if you want them to trust you unconditionally. If you are consistently responsive to their needs, they are more likely to grow up healthier, more emotionally happy and socially well-developed children.

Create order in the chaos

Children appreciate routine and order, even though they are often the reasons that order goes out of the window. Try and bring as much order into your life as you can, such as by setting up a consistent routine for the family to follow, and this should help reduce the chaos in your life, as well as give your children the structure they need.