Every day you try to wrangle your kids while they are kicking and screaming. It seems like you just can’t get a handle on them.
Why does it have to be so hard?
Why can’t you just control your kids?
Why can’t they just obey?
Respect you?
Act like a decent human being?
Why can’t being a parent be easier?
Parenting is not for the faint of heart, they say. As a single mom with a 2-to-1-I-always-lose ratio, let me just say it is STINKIN’ HARD! I don’t know if it’s just this generation, but they seem all the more confident in their little stubborn hearts to disobey. I never would have gotten away with half of what my kids do. And it’s tough. You want to love on them all day long, but there has to be some sort of punishment when they disobey.
So, what do you do? Do you lock them in their rooms the rest of their life like Tangled…beat them into submission? No! That’s not the solution. The solution is wisdom. You have to outsmart the little turkeys.
What’s my advice to outsmart them?
- By learning all you can about them and their behaviors.
- By learning from the best articles and content available online.
- By reading everything you can about a particular topic you are dealing with
- By trying different things with your own kids until you see results.
Each child will be vastly different and each child needs different rewards and consequences (tweens ain’t gonna have the same needs as preschoolers, for example). What works for one, even in the same family, won’t always work for another. And they feed off of each other, meaning, once one gets away with something, the other feels more confident to disobey.
There’s so much information to wade through online to find the good stuff. To save you time, I’ve put together my 16 top tips to make parenting easier!
Check out the list and let me know how you liked them.
- Did something stick out to you?
- Do you agree or not agree?
- Did something help you?
- Did you learn something?
Let me know in the comments at the bottom! A rising tide lifts all boats, let’s grow and learn together! I’d love to hear the parenting styles that work for you!
16 Top Tips to Make Parenting Easier
1. Establish Routines
Children thrive on routines. Consistent schedules for meals, nap time and bedtime, and activities can provide structure, stability, and predictability, which can help children feel safe and secure.
Routines also streamline daily tasks, making it easier for parents to manage their time and responsibilities.
2. Practice Patience
Parenting requires BUCKETLOADS of patience. Find something that helps you to centre yourself even in the midst of an erupting child! Remind yourself that children learn through trial and error, and offer gentle guidance instead of immediate frustration. You’ve gotta let your child borrow your calm until they are over their tantrum.
3. Set Boundaries
Clearly communicate rules and expectations to your children. You gotta be CONSISTENT in enforcing these rules for it to work. Both parents have to be on the same page too! It establishes a framework for appropriate behavior, reducing misunderstandings and conflicts. Boundaries also helps children understand their limits, promoting self-discipline and respect.
4. Division of Responsibility in Feeding
Childhood feeding expert, Ellyn Satter, created this framework to make mealtimes less stressful. I mean, who doesn’t want that, right?!
So, parents are responsible for what, when, and where to eat, while children are responsible for how much and whether to eat.
So no more pressure at the dining table. No more forcing “just one more bite” or “clear your plate or you won’t get dessert” etc. Instead, this approach fosters a healthy relationship with food and empowers children to listen to their hunger and fullness cues.
5. Encourage Independence
Foster your child’s independence by allowing them to make age-appropriate choices and learn from their mistakes. By empowering children to tackle tasks and make decisions on their own, improves their confidence and resilience. This’ll stop you whirring around like a helicopter parent to micromanage every aspect of your children’s lives. It results in a healthy parent-child relationship, one built on trust and autonomy.
6. Prioritize Self-Care
Take care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally so you can be the best parent possible. It can be easy to feel guilty about taking time for yourself, but you can’t pour from an empty cup. You gotta recharge to prevent burnout. Fill yourself up and you have more energy to give to your kids.
If you LOVE coloring to unwind and relax, here’s the MASSIVE collection of coloring books I have in my shop!
7. Model Healthy Habits
Children learn by example, so make sure you’re modeling the behaviors and habits you want to instill in them. Whether it’s eating nutritious foods, managing stress effectively, or showing empathy towards others, your actions speak louder than words.
8. Family Devotional Time
Make family devotional time a part of your daily routine. It’s perfect bonding time to read and discuss Bible passages, share reflections, and pray as a family. It’ll strengthen your family’s faith but also fosters open communication, instills important values for life, and helps kids understand that God offers unconditional love, guidance and support. You can find TONS of Christian resources for kids and adults here!!
9. Communicate Openly
Encourage open communication with your children and listen to their thoughts and feelings without judgment. Rather than always focusing on discipline or correcting behavior, prioritize building a strong connection with your child. Listen to their thoughts and feelings, and show them unconditional love and support.
10. Encourage a Growth Mindset
Teach your children that challenges and failures are opportunities for growth and learning. When children believe that their abilities can be developed through effort and perseverance, they are more likely to embrace challenges rather than shy away from them. This mindset reduces the fear of failure and instills a sense of confidence and curiosity, making it easier for you to support your children through setbacks.
11. Lead by Example
Children learn by watching their parents, so strive to model the behavior you want to see in them. By modeling positive behaviors such as kindness, empathy, and responsibility, you set an example for them to follow. You CAN’T expect to display negative behaviors such as shouting or disrespect, then expect your children to do the opposite. SHOW don’t tell.
12. Spend Quality Time Together
Spending quality time together strengthens the bond with your kids. Give them your UNDIVIDED attention. Don’t scroll on your phone, or be doing anything else that takes attention away from the present moment with your children. If you have more than one child, make time for 1 on 1 bonding with each of them. They’ll LOVE it. It’ll make them feel special and they’ll feel closer to you, and more likely to open up when they need to!
13. Stay Organized
Keep track of important dates, appointments, and tasks to reduce stress and avoid scrambling around last-minute. Have your cupboards stocked with snacks. Make a point of going through their wardrobe and removing things that are too small or old. Stay on top of their toys too. Take toys that they are too old for to charity or trash those that are broken. You get the idea. Sort things before they become overwhelming! Here’s a super helpful organizational series to help with ideas to organize your home room by room!
14. Seek Support
Don’t hesitate to reach out to friends, family, or support groups for advice, encouragement, and assistance when needed. You aren’t bothering anyone. You’re NOT a burden. Don’t feel guilty for needing help. They don’t say it takes a village to raise a child for no reason. It does! You’re not failing by having help.
15. Random Acts of Kindness Challenges
Make being kind a natural part of your kid’s day. Have challenges to integrate being kind into their life, such as writing thank-you notes, helping neighbors, or volunteering together in the community. These small acts teach empathy, foster a sense of community, and nurture a kinder world. Here’s some KEE-UTE random acts of kindess cards you can use!!
16. Gratitude Journaling
Start a family gratitude journal where each member writes down something they’re grateful for every day. Talk about it around the dinner table. Make being grateful a default way for your kids to think. Reflecting on the positives can promote mindfulness and appreciation for the little things in life. I’ve got a cool gratitude challenge here and a gratitude prompts binder you can use with your family!
