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It’s true that modern life is fast paced and busy, and being a parent while you have work, a social life and several other obligations to fulfill can seem impossible. But this doesn’t have to be the case at all. The truth is you don’t need an entourage of nannies and babysitters in order to make parenthood work for you. With a few easy skills, you can learn to become the modern parent of your dreams. In this article we’ll highlight a couple of things that you need to know in order to ensure that you are as efficient and knowledgeable as possible in order to raise your kids in the modern era. Read on to know more!
1. Teach Them About Money From A Young Age
Teaching your kids how to deal with money is extremely important in the modern world. Kids are exposed to so much so early on in life. Be it wanting a new toy or wondering why they go to a private school while their neighbors don’t, your child must learn the value of money as soon as possible. One good way to introduce your child to spending money wisely is to do it with them in a safe space like the supermarket. Before you go grocery shopping you can clip a few coupons and ask your child to keep an eye out on a specific product you can use the coupon on. Make them feel like they are helping you and doing something important. You’ll never miss the carrots now!
Another way to get your preschooler to learn about money is to set up a fake restaurant at home. This is a good way to prepare your kid for future dinners in the real world and explain some basic things throughout the game such as manners and how to set the table. Remind your child that they will have to pay the bill at the end of the dinner with their pretend money.
2. Learn Your Basics
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No matter what era you live in there are some basics that you as a parent absolutely should know in order to raise a child. You must know how to put your baby to sleep, how to feed them and how to change a diaper. Now you can debate what diapers to select and if your child is going to have a plant based diet in the future. But newborn baby care is a must and you need to have it down to a T before your baby arrives. Of course, every infant is different and you will have your set of challenges along the way but do your best to prepare. Take a breastfeeding class in order to figure out the different positions you can hold your baby. Learn about different sleeping techniques and discuss with your partner if co-sleeping is an option or not. Ensure that you are eating nutritious meals in order to produce enough milk after delivery and practice changing a diaper or a doll a couple of times. This will ensure that you are working efficiently and making well thought out decisions as soon as the baby arrives. One less thing to worry about!
3. Enforce Empathetic Limits And Focus On Creating Structure
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Modern life isn’t just busy for you, it’s going to be busy for the kids too. With school and all the extra curricular activities they’ll be involved in, it’s important to teach them to have empathetic limits, respect their peers and lay a strong focus on structure and routine. . Parents must be sure to establish a routine so that their children have a structure in place to help them function without chaos ensuing. This is why it is so important to have a specific bedtime, mealtime and playtime. Setting boundaries and rules will help your child develop well. They also need parents to enforce limits in order to know right from wrong. This too is an essential part of good parenting. You can practice this by setting healthy boundaries with your child from a young age.
Keep in mind that limit setting is not the same as enforcing punishment. It’s much better for them as you can use empathy to establish limits while still showing them that you are on their side. For example, you might set a limit stating that your child cannot play their drums past 8 at night. Instead of simply forbidding them and yelling at them when they don’t follow through, empathize with them while still keeping the boundary in place. Tell them that they might disturb the neighbors and that it is important that they rest in order to be able to play well the next day at their music lesson. By doing this you empathize with your child’s wishes but still establish limits by explaining why they exist.
Raising kids doesn’t have to be a chore in the modern world. You can still live a happy life with kids. In fact, your children will teach you a lot more about enjoying life and seeing its true potential. So enjoy your children as you teach them how to thrive in the modern world.
