Parenting goals to help you raise a happy and healthy child: 2023 guide

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Raising a child in today’s world where there is so much to think about can be challenging. Even with the complexity of life today you can still achieve a happy and healthy childhood for your child. With the stress of the world on our shoulders, it’s important as parents that we try to stay focused and avoid letting our emotions get in the way. To help you with both of these goals, we have compiled some parenting goals and tips that you can follow as part of your parenting journey.

Parenting goals to help you raise a happy and healthy child

Set yourself up for success

When it comes to raising a child, there are many parents who are quick to set themselves up for failure. That’s because parenting isn’t a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. It requires you to stay engaged and focused as your child grows. At the same time, you need to avoid setting yourself up for failure by being unrealistic. That way, you can avoid frustration and disappointment.

To avoid setting yourself up for failure, set realistic expectations and make sure that you stay realistic with your parenting abilities. One mantra I tend to follow which really helps you to do this is “don’t sweat the small stuff”. While it’s important to give kids boundaries, it’s also important to give them plenty of little wins along the way. I find that reviewing your expectations accordingly and in line with their age/developmental stage really helps with this too!

Set realistic goals for your child

Before you start setting your child’s goals, make sure that you’re setting goals that are realistic. Otherwise, they run the risk of being unrealistic expectations. If you set your child unrealistic goals, they’ll likely end up frustrated. They’ll end up wondering why it’s so hard to achieve what you wanted for them. A realistic goal may be something like “being a kind person”, for example.

Be aware that setting unrealistic goals can have negative consequences when it comes to parenting. Realistic goals can help you get a better sense of what your child is capable of. You can use this information to help your child stay focused and avoid being overwhelmed with too much information and responsibility.

Believe in your child’s abilities and talents

As a parent, you have the ability to shape your child’s future. However, you don’t have a say in everything that happens to your child. That means that you can’t make your child believe in themselves and their abilities. Instead, you can encourage your child to believe in themselves. That way, they’ll be more likely to find value in the things they’re passionate about.

Start early by showing your child that their talents are something valuable. For example, if your child loves to draw, show them that their drawings are something that others enjoy by using them as designs for gifts. At the same time, avoid encouraging your child to pursue their passion if they aren’t naturally gifted in that area. That way, your child will be less likely to become discouraged and frustrated.

Invest in your child’s development

As a parent, you don’t get a do-over when it comes to raising your child. That means that you can’t go back and change what has already happened. However, it also means that you can choose how to approach your child’s development. For example, a big area of focus for us was my daughter’s confidence and self-esteem. When it comes to investing in your child’s development, it’s important to focus on the long-term. With this in mind, you need to avoid focusing on the short-term. That way, you’ll be less likely to negatively influence your child’s self-esteem and confidence.

Show appreciation and love regularly

Showing gratitude and appreciation will help you stay focused on the important things. It will also help you avoid becoming overwhelmed with the things that need to get done. That way, your child will be more likely to receive your love and appreciation regularly. At the same time, you don’t want to overwhelm your child with too much love, affection and praise. Rather, you want to create an environment where your child feels loved and valued. This will help your child to feel confident in themselves and their abilities.

Don’t take criticism personally

When it comes to raising a child, you might be tempted to take your child’s criticism personally. That’s because your child might be upset with you, tell you they hate you, roll their eyes at you….the list goes on. However, you want to avoid taking your child’s criticism personally. That way, you’ll be less likely to get defensive. At the same time, you also don’t want to let your child’s criticism get you down either. You want to remember that your child is still just a child and isn’t qualified to give parenting advice. Remember, you are doing the best you can and that’s all that matters!

Conclusion

Raising a child is an exciting and rewarding experience. However, it’s also incredibly challenging. To help you make the most of your parenting journey, we’ve compiled this list of parenting goals to help you prioritise and not sweat the small stuff. With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to set yourself up for success as a parent and lay the foundations for a happy and healthy child – although please remember there is no such thing as a perfect parent. We all have our days when the reality of life is a far cry from our parenting goals. So long as we are just doing the best we can, that’s what counts as a parent.

9 comments

  1. Very insightful tips, thank you so much. I love what you said about setting realistic expectations, I can’t agree more!

  2. I love your tips. As a new parent, we can learn a lot from your post. It can be callenging to raise kids, but the right strategies make it a little bit easier.

  3. Great tips. As I’ve gotten older I’ve gain so much respect for parents..it’s the hardest job in the world. Thank you for sharing.

  4. This is all sound advice. Showing children you believe in their abilities can help boost their confidence greatly which can really help them do well. Setting realistic goals is also important as setting unrealistic goals can affect their confidence negatively.

  5. That’s a very helpful tips for the parents. I agree setting realistic goals are really very important.

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