I recently stumbled across these parenting suggestions in a magazine and thought they were worth sharing:
- Allow children of all ages time for free play. It's a natural way to learn regulation, social skills and cognitive skills.
- Be reasonable about what is dangerous and what is not. Some risk-taking is healthy.
- Don't overreact to every bad grade or negative encounter your child has. Sometimes discomfort is the appropriate response to a situation -- and a stimulus to self-improvement.
- Don't be too willing to slap a disease label on your child at the first sign of a problem; instead, spend some time helping your child learn how to deal with the problem.
- Peers are important, but young people also need to spend time socializing with adults in order to know how to be adults.
- Modify our expectations about child-raising in light of your child's temperament; the same actions don't work with everyone.
- Recognize that there are many paths to success. Allow your children latitude -- even to take a year off before starting college.
- Don't manipulate the academic system on behalf of your child; it makes kids guilty and doubtful of their own ability.
- Remember that the goal of child-rearing is to raise an independent adult. Encourage your children to think for themselves, to disagree (respectfully) with authority, even to incur the critical gaze of their peers.
John Eldredge (http://www.ransomedheart.com/)
Rick Warren (http://www.rickwarren.com/)
Rob Bell (http://www.marshill.org/)
John Piper (http://www.desiringgod.org/)
