Sharpening Your Parenting Skills

Honestly, some people's parenting skills truly need some adjustments. I have witnessed so many things in public places that make me think that some people should be tested before they are allowed to reproduce.

Honestly, some people's parenting skills truly need some adjustments. I have witnessed so many things in public places that make me think that some people should be tested before they are allowed to reproduce. There are classes out there that teach basic parenting skills but not enough of people enroll in them. It is almost as if when you have a baby, they send you home from the hospital without the faintest clue as to what you are supposed to do with this child. Perhaps a manual should be written and given to parents when they leave the hospital. Anyone can be a parent but not everyone has the parenting skills required to raise a child.

Many parents' parenting skills come from their own experiences in growing up. They pass down the same values and traditions that their parents instilled in them. I have had two young clients in my office who were both parents before the age of 18. Neither of these individuals had the first clue as to what kind of parenting skills they should have. Interestingly enough, both of those individuals had been born to young parents as well. Their young parents lacked the values, knowledge and parenting skills to raise their children as properly as they should have. One of those children had been primarily raised on the streets because their young parents could not have cared less what he was doing. It is a miracle he didn't end up in jail or dead. At the age of 16, a girl came to him to announce that she was pregnant. Suddenly, he was the one who was in need of some common sense and parenting skills.

My other client gave birth when she was 17. Her mother didn't even know that she was pregnant and had no interest in helping to raise her grandchild when she had barely even cared to raise her own daughter. My client is now struggling to finish school and raise a child. While some parenting skills are merely common sense, some people truly lack that common sense. This holds true especially if they never had parental figures that demonstrated common sense for them. You've heard people say that children are a reflection of their parents and there is a great amount of truth to that. Parenting skills are the same way. A parent will reflect the parenting skills that their parents showed to them. Of course, this does not hold true for everyone. There are people who break out of the cycle and I have nothing but praise for them. What is ever so important is that before becoming a parent, make sure you have the common sense parenting skills that are needed to raise your child. Never be afraid to ask someone for advice or answers. Your child will thank you for it. So will the rest of the world.