Aren't We All Just Big Babies

Hello everyone!!! I hope you all had a great week:) Comment down below something fun you did!

This week we are going to discuss the topic of PARENTING! Super exciting. I myself am not a parent but I cannot tell you the insights I gained from studying more on this topic. Parenting is obviously something that the majority of us will have to undertake and even in some of us do not have children maybe you will have nieces and nephews that you are asked to take care of for a certain period of times, multiple times in your life. 

Think back on your childhood. How did your parents’ parent? Were they strict? Were they absent? Did they show you lots of love? Do you have siblings? There are so many aspects to childhood that I think go unnoticed. How we were raised made us who we are today. Let me say that again. The way you were raised is a big part of why you are the way you are today. It is important for a parent to understand this. That your child literally knows nothing but what they learn from you, those they are surrounded by, what they see, what they hear, etc. There are many different kinds of parenting styles but the best kind is called active or authoritative parenting. This kind of parenting encourages high levels of confidence and consistency aka do what you want your child to do. Act the way you want your child to act. Do your best as a parent to fulfil the needs of your children. Provide love, connection, support, control, agency, protection, and challenge.

I read an article this week that talked about how parents today are being controlled by the child rather than being the responsible parent figure in their child’s life. It is okay to act like you know more than your child because chances are you do and it is your responsibility to provide that stability for them and as they age appropriately give them more responsibility.

One of the reasons I decided to study child development is because it helps me understand adults as well. A child is dependent on the parent. A child has needs that need to be met to be able to thrive. An adult has needs that need to be met to thrive. You need to treat a child with love and respect. You need to treat an adult with love and respect. See the connection! 

Of course, a blog post wouldn't be complete without me sharing an experience from my childhood that helped me understand parenting better. I love my parents and something that my parents did that I want to incorporate with my future children is being a hard worker. My parents encouraged me to get a job young and earn my own money to provide the things I wanted for myself. They helped me save money and let me learn by experience good spending habits. I hated it in the moment but looking back I am grateful for their strictness in making me save money.

For me personally, when I am a parent, I want to include my child in my cooking, cleaning, and daily activities to teach them and include them. I want them to know they belong in our family and they have a role to play.

 Michael Popkin is a great resource is you would like to know more on the subject of active parenting.

What is one thing you want to include in your parenting? Comment below!

I loved exploring the topic and science of parenting and I encourage you each to look up reliable resources and make a plan for how you want to parent and include in your future family. It might even be fun!

I hope you all have a great week and I look forward to next week’s blog!

-        Emily