First of all, being a parent is not easy, nor is any parent perfect and I would like to say upfront before listing bad parenting habits to break that I am guilty at some point in my parenting career of displaying each and every one of these bad parenting habits.
The point of this article is to remind parents to try and not make the bad parenting habits just that…a habit.
5 Bad Parenting Habits You Must Avoid
Here are the bad parenting habits to break. Learning from bad parenting habits and trying to make parenting improvements is key to informed parenting.
Screaming and yelling
Kids can push our buttons; there is no doubt about that. When dealing with the daily stresses of life and then having your kids push those buttons, it easy to see why parents react by screaming and yelling. However, as parents we do not want our kids to think that it is okay to deal with high emotional situations by screaming and yelling. Talking calmly and negotiating is the best way to deal with confrontational situations; more is accomplished when talking calmly. Kids learn by seeing and watching. Setting a good example as a parent by reacting in a calm manner is so important for kids to react to conflict situations in the same way.
Nagging
This is one bad parenting habit that I am very guilty of and I am not sure why I do nag my kids. I have given it much thought and I think that I want things done now and done to my liking and thus I will put that pressure onto my kids. When I start nagging my kids, sometimes I do not even realize I am doing it, but once I see their frustration or they directly tell me that I am nagging them, I do stop. My issue is that I have to learn to not even start nagging my kids and figure out a more positive way to get my kids to do things that I want done. For me, this bad parenting habit is an issue that I am continually working on improving.
Ignoring
When you have conflicts with your kids, it is easy to want to not deal with the issues for a while and ignore the kids. However, if a child wants to try and show affection or try to make up, ignoring the child can really damage the child’s self-esteem and make he or she feel really unworthy. It is important as a parent to explain your unhappiness or disappointment with the situation but to still give your child the attention and love that he or she deserves.
Swearing
Swearing can easily become a really bad habit and a bad parenting habit that should not continue. As a parent it so important for kids to not hear their parents swearing. As a parent, if you are a swearer I do not think there is any magical answers to stop swearing. I believe it involves just starting out by trying to be really conscious of what words are coming out of your mouth and the more experience you get with not swearing and finding more positive words to use, your vocabulary will improve over time.
Breaking promises
Trust is imperative between a parent and a child, if you make a promise to your child it is so important to try and not break that promise. I personally believe that if you do think there is any chance that you cannot keep a promise to your child, then do not make the promise in the first place. Parents have good intentions and want their kids to be happy, but making promises as a parent that you do not know if you can keep does more harm than good; it is safer to not make the promise in the first place.
