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ABC’S OF PARENTING SERIES
The fourth part of our ABC’s of Parenting Series is The letter D.
The letter “D” has a full range of words that relate to Parenting! Below is a small list that we think are important while dealing with our kids. We have included our thoughts, tips and tricks related to the letter D.
Daily
Creating a daily routine that builds a positive connection with your kids is so important. There are many ways to create that daily bond. Each day, take five minutes to snuggle or be close with your child. Sit down at the dinner table for meals. At Breakfast you can talk about what they look forward to in the day or in the evening take a moment to find out the best thing that happened to them that day. Read with your child every night before bed. Books are a great way to form a close connection.
Think about your daily life and choose three things you can do with your child. Make a plan to make them happen. A daily routine that creates a positive connection is easy to do if you set your intention to do it!
Debate
One huge part of parenting is being prepared to debate. You will debate parenting philosophy’s with family, friends and even strangers. Everyone has an opinion on parenting and you might as well be prepared to hear them. Remember, a debate is thinking about things from different viewpoints. There is no need to turn things into an argument, where you are defending your position.
Decision
As a parent, you will make a lot of decisions. Some will be good and some will be just plain wrong. Remember to teach your children as you go. When you make a wrong decision, don’t hang your head, use it as a teaching tool and talk about it.
Decision making is a critical life skill that you will need to teach your children. Without this skill how will your child be a mature and healthy adult? Always remember, no matter the outcome of their decisions they will learn something. A good choice and they gain self confidence, a bad one and they learn from it and make better choices later on.
Delegate
It is easy to feel overwhelmed in parenting. Learning how to delegate will help ease some of those feelings. Think about your routine tasks and which ones someone else in the house might be able to do better than you. Everyone should have chores and should contribute to making the house run smoothly.
Dependable
The mark of a dependable parent is one that is consistent, reliable and trustworthy. Your children need to know you will hold true to your word. If you say you are going to be some where, be there. If your child has an appointment, get them there on time. Follow through with your word, always. Of course, everyone has a bad day here and there but overall, let your kids know they can count on you!
Discuss
Taking the time to have discussions with your kids from an early age can really make things easier as they age. If you and your kids have lots of conversations throughout their whole lives, they will be more apt to talk to you when difficult things come up.
Discipline With Kindness
Let’s start with the fact that discipline is not the same as punishment. Discipline has more of a teaching element than punishment ,which is just a negative consequence.
When a parent is angry or upset they usually punish more harshly than when they are calm. If a parent is able to remain calm and in control they can discipline with kindness rather than react with anger. This is a much better long-term strategy.
Don’t Over React
Our kids learn from our behaviors and our reactions to situations. If you have a tendency to over react as a parent, you may notice it in your children’s reactions. When a parent can regulate their own emotions they can more easily teach their children to do the same. You really do set the example as a parent. Your kids are always watching and mimicking you. If you want even and calm children, you must be an even and calm parent.
Dramatic
Drama is something we all deal with in our children. They can be overly dramtic at times, which can be hard to deal with. A lot of people associate the drama with girls but boys can have it as well. Dramatic responses are normal and you can deal with them in many ways. Bringing them to light can really help. Identifing those moments when the reactions are too strong for the situation can help your child see exactly how they might be over reacting. Something to remember, don’t respond to drama by being dramatic yourself. That will only show your child how to use more drama in the future. Instead, remain calm and discuss the reaction,
NEXT UP – THE LETTER E
BACK TO – THE LETTER C
What is your favorite parenting word that starts with the letter D? Feel free to share in the comments!
If you want, feel free to read our post about Raising Free Thinkers!
You might also enjoy Parenting 101!
My favorite “d” word is don’t over react. As a parent of four I have to tell myself daily not to over react it’s hard sometimes but I’m getting better. I love these letter parenting series.
Oh yes! That is a great one for sure! Not over reacting can be so difficult at times. I think we all do it from time to time, I know I do!
I love this alphabet series. It is a unique way to share parenting tips. One word I’ve chosen is daily because I have not be consistent in reading to my kiddos like I would love to. We have not develop a daily routine what so ever. Our mornings are usually chaotic and hectic with making sure that they’re ready and that they have everything they need for school.
Daily routines are so nice to have but can be difficult to execute. It is so nice to have consistency. Our mornings used to be filled with choas as well and now we do alot more prepping in the evenings. It has helped so much!
Love your series on the ABC’s of parenting. My favorite word that starts with a D is daring, because it takes a lot of daring to manage through our days, to be a parent, to be a fully engaged person in the world. Dare to be great, to step up your game, to move in the world without fear. Thanks for the great post.
Thank you! Dare is a great one! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! They are all so very fitting!
This is a fun idea for a post series =) My favorite word from this post was Dependable. It means a lot to me because my childhood was rocky and changed a lot. It’s extremely important to me that my kids know they can depend on my husband and I to keep them safe and secure.
I think so much of childhood in my parenting. Repeating the things I loved and changing the things I didn’t. My favorite phrase is “break the cycle”. I say it all the time to my husband, to myself and to my kids. Your kids are lucky to have you to always keep them feeling safe!!
This is such a poignant post! I really enjoyed reading your ‘D’ points, and I can tell you’re both great parents!
Thank you so much! That means a lot! I am so glad you enjoyed this post!!!
Delegate is one word I need to learn! I do not ever ask for help and end up feeling completely overwhelmed x
This is such an interesting idea – parenting from A-Z. I love all the “D”s you’ve put down here and I think I’d add this one, although it’s more of a phrase really: encourage them to dare to dream. Because kids have no concept of “can’t” and that’s such a valuable trait to cherish and nurture. Loved reading this!
Oh I love that addition! You are so correct on that. We really focus on the “I can”. I do hope you follow along as this series grows!!
This is a really clever series! Good job!
I have to get better at delegating! I get in the habit of feeling like it has to be ME who does something.
I think we all fall in that trap! It can be hard to let go of our own expectations of perfection so delegating can take some serious internal control! I am so glad you enjoy this series and hope you follow along as it continues to grow!
Love the idea of the “ABCs” of parenting! It’s like having the parenting manual that we all can’t seem to find. Love it!
Thank you! I am hoping this helps many 🙂 I am really enjoying putting it together!
Love this!
Thank you!