Skip to Content

What It Really Means to Be a Good Parent

When someone mentions the words “good parent”, what comes to your mind?

Is it how much the parent cares about their child’s wellbeing, or their ability to provide for their life and help them forget all of their worries? Or perhaps it’s about always being there for your child through both good and bad times.

The answer isn’t always clear because it varies from person to person.

What It Really Means to Be a Good Parent

The truth is, when it comes to parenting, one size certainly does not fit all.

There is no book, podcast or amount of information available that will make you that perfect parent but do you know what does?

You.

You are in control of how you parent. You are the only one that can deem yourself a “good parent” because after all, you are the parent. You are living and raising your child day by day. Nobody else can determine your outcome as a parent besides you.

Being a good parent is dependent on your personal experiences, growth and life lessons.

If you really need some advice, here are some things you can use to help become a better parent to your own child…

Use your childhood experiences

One of the biggest resources you have as a parent is your experience. Using it to help teach your child lessons or impart wise knowledge to them is one of the key aspects of being a good parent.

It’s what separates you from other parents and helps to create a strong family, especially if you show your child that you can be trusted with sensitive information that they may find embarrassing to talk about with others.

Recall your childhood experiences and use them to help connect with your child. Help them understand the challenges they’re going through in life and use your own past experiences to offer them advice and also openly discuss issues that could have also affected you in the past.

Being the role model

Telling your child to do anything is pointless if you’re unable to do it yourself. Ordering children around while contradicting the things you say or creating exceptions to the rules you push on to them can backfire if you do it too much.

While you do need to establish your position as the parent that your children must listen to, you also need to show them the logic behind certain actions and words that you say.

In other words, be the role model that they need to develop themselves. Follow your own words and make sure you’re not contradicting the things you say. Show them that you stick to your word and don’t deviate from it.

Start difficult conversations if needed

A lot of difficult conversations won’t be started by your child because they’ll feel embarrassed. They might also fail to muster up the courage to ask you, instead turning to their friends or siblings. If you notice that your child is going through something difficult, make sure you start the conversation and be polite and assertive without pushing them to talk about it.

When dealing with difficult conversations, it’s a good idea to try and bring truths and facts to the table. For example, if you need to talk about something difficult such as their biological father then you may want to consider a home paternity test if they’re having doubts about their parents. This is just one example of bringing facts to help reaffirm something that your child has doubts with.

The bottom line is, nobody but you can be a good parent to your child but with proper communication skills and a solid relationship, you can’t underestimate how valuable your knowledge, skills and love are as a parent.