Putting Fun Back into Parenting

Being a parent is certainly a challenging job. Being the instructor, counselor, disciplinarian, organizer and provider can be anything but fun. There are things you can do to take the chore out of parenting and make it a fun adventure.

First thing is rid your self of negative attitudes and behaviors. Yelling, arguing and name calling are destructive to both parent and child and rarely achieve what you are trying to accomplish. Avoid power struggles. Sometimes as parents we feel like we need to make sure a child makes a certain choice, or completes a certain action. It is a normal part of growth and becoming independent to sometimes decide to do something different. If we try to not take these situations personally and not turn them into a match of will, but instead choices between actions and consequences, these situations become learning moments instead of conflicts. For instance if a child refuses to do a chore, let them know they have a choice between doing the chore or receiving the consequence for not doing the chore. This can be a real patience tester for the parent, especially if the child chooses the consequence. Remember that discipline teaches the child the value of making good choices while punishment focuses on the negative act. Lastly, make criticisms constructive. Focus on what needs to change and what actions should have been taken instead of what was already done.

Once we have rid our house of negative attitudes it opens the way for more fun and play. Play is an important part of childhood development. With video games, organized, competitive sports and endless TV programs, many childhood games have dwindled into nonexistence. Participating with your children as much as possible begins to really put fun back into parenting. Reading, doing puzzles, playing board games or classic outdoor games, exploring nature by playing nature bingo or star gazing all can build a bond as well as teach academic skills. Taking up hobbies that you can work on together or explore interests like space, paleontology or zoology can also teach children learning skills while having fun.