“Positive Parenting” is the idea that children are innately good and moral, and that the best way to draw the natural goodness out of them is to positively reinforce them and discipline them in a manner that focuses on how their future actions should be rather than how their past actions have been wrong. More authoritative styles of parenting can be effective, but not all parents are built to be that way. Here are the keys to being a “positive parent”.
Make Sure Your Children Understand “Why”
As you know, when your child misbehaves it is almost certainly for some reason. You may even have a good idea of what this reason is by now. Make sure that when you are disciplining your child that you bring up why they are acting this way. This will help them realize that their misbehavior is actually not an effective way to get what they want, and will help them adjust for the future.
Lead By Example
Realize that your kindness towards your child and towards others is influential on them. Show them how kindness can be used effectively rather than simply using kindness as a means to give in to them. There is power in being a good person, and use the natural power you have as a parent with this to show them how to behave and develop a strong heart within them.
Create “Learning Opportunities” For Your Child
One great advantage of positive parenting is it can help your child see how misbehavior is actually self-destructive if done correctly. This is because the consequences of misbehavior will not necessarily be seen as a harsh punishment. To accomplish this, you must be able to point out why their actions are wrong and irrational. If you can use poor behavior as an example of something that went wrong for your child, they will be less inclined to make the same mistakes in the future and will have good intentions in not making these mistakes as well.