So, you may be wondering what it means (to me) to be "the good parent." If you're thinking it has something to do with spoiling your child rotten while the "bad parent" does all the discipline, you couldn't be further from the truth! When I started this blog & decided on a title, I had thought long & hard about what it is that seperates parents from eachother in terms of actual parenting. Putting "styles" of parenting aside because lets face it, different styles work for different people and for different occassions...and I'm not going to be the one to say a certain style makes for a better parent (althought obviously I have my own style and preferences in terms of parenting.)
Anyone can be a parent....and hopefully you don't need me to explain all the ways in which people can be parents if they chose that road in life! However, not just anyone can be a good parent and in my opinion very few are great parents. I'll explain later how to be a great parent (which I am not~lol)!
Anyone can parent....meaning anyone can love a child, feed them, provide for clothing, shelter, toys, an education. Sadly, even these parenting minimums will ebb & flow in a childs life depending on the choices their parent(s) make or circumstances they cannot escape.
The okay parent. Anyone who is a parent to the child(ren) as described up above and who also has the desire to be a good parent. However, there are more days than not when you long for your life without kids, without the whining, without the added expenses, you also desire the freedoms to come & go as you please without having to think about the needs & wants of another human being, and so on. Its mostly an attitude thing that is keeping you from being a good parent...not neccessarily your lack of ability or resources to parent well. As a result of not giving your all, many of your interactions with your child are mediocre, unfulfilling, and routine to say the least.
The good parent. Anyone who has a genuine desire to be a good parent and takes action on a regular basis to make this desire a reality. This parent seeks out ideas, resources, information to assist them in addressing the needs & wants of the child(ren) and implements them. The good parent is not selfish. There, I said it! The good parent puts the childs needs and wants before their own, and happily does so! The main reason why the good parent is not a great parent is because the good parent, when they are having a bad day, resorts to being an okay parent. However, this only happens every once & a while! The good parent is human too!
The great parent. I don't think I know anyone who is a great parent all the time. I know lots of good parents who have moments being great parents...but who are really mostly good parents. The Great parent lives for the child, excels in providing for them, teaching them, ensuring they have a fulfilling life experience from all possible angles. The great parent does not look back, only forward and fully embraces their role as parent. This parent is consistent, balanced, knowledgable, loving even when they are angry, etc... you get the idea. The great parent is whatever the good parent is striving to be "more" like (whatever that is for you).
I am sure as I read back over this blog post I am going to want to change everything about it! I did not comment on the bad parent because this blog is only about what it means to be a "good" parent...something sandwiched between "okay" and "great." While being a great parent seems unattainable to the good parent, there really needs to be MORE good parents out there in the world! It saddens me to think about bad parenting and even okay parenting. To all you "okay" parents out there... it is a slippery slope to being a bad parent and it is likely you've "gone there" a couple times already. I beg everyone to join the work towards being a good parent...the rewards are amazing and if you can let go of your self to give to your child (ren) you will see a difference in them as well! Children learn what they are taught and their behaviors are largely a direct reflection of parenting.
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