Author: Jessica Halverson

“If you don’t embrace who you are and accept who you are, you won’t be able to live a happy life.” ~ Ciara

This quote speaks to me on many levels. It especially rings true in parenthood. If you embrace who you are as a parent and accept that as the truest version, then perhaps you can have a happy time parenting.

Now, I’m not saying you have to be on top of your game every second of every day. I’m not even saying you are doing your absolute best at each turn. All I’m saying here is that if you fully step into the light of what YOUR parenting style may be, then you stand a chance at feeling the blessing and happiness that being a parent has to offer. Bad days will still happen; some days you may want to hide under a rock. However, strength will come from knowing that you are confident in the way you are raising your child(ren) and the laughter and fun times most likely will outweigh those rough patches.

What are three ways that you can enhance learning through your parenting?

1. Know Your “Rules”
   The hardest part of parenting is watching your kids be upset, especially if you are the root cause of that frustration/upset. Boundaries are healthy, however, and establishing “rules” that should be adhered to is key. They associates consequences to their actions, learn where rules can bend, and understand that having a set of expectations can help their behavior and growth. These guidelines also help you stay consistent and realize where your lines are drawn to avoid too many loose cannon moments (that’s not to say those won’t happen from time to time – parenting can be stressful). The fact that rules, whether they are family rules or simply an internal list, will help both parents and kids have some semblance of routine and order to their days.
2. Decide on Priorities Getting caught up in work, consumed by social media, or other “to-do’s” tends to happen every now and again. If you have created an order for your priorities, then you’ll be able to remind yourself of those and regain a better juggle of efforts. Pulling yourself out of whatever tunnel vision you let yourself go down will be needed. Priorities you have set may even shift, but allow that to happen. Once you decide on what parts of your life are important, bringing yourself back out of work-a-holic mode or down rabbit holes becomes easier. Give it a shot!
3. Go Easy on Yourself Nothing that comes with parenting is a cakewalk. Lessons can be taught in any situation. Repeat that sentence to yourself. One of the best teachable moments every day, in my opinion, is that of forgiveness. Not only can you grant yourself some grace but when your child(ren) see that, they understand that adding that into their repertoire is okay also. My favorite motto for motherhood stands as, “Some days will be better than others.” Once in a while, I want to hide away and have two seconds of alone-time. Much of the time, I enjoy being around my heathens. My kids have rough days, I have rough days, and all of that is A-okay. We work it out, hug, talk, whatever may be helpful, and hold on to “Tomorrow is a new day.” A momentary lapse of judgement on the proper behavior does not a horrible day make. Attempting to focus on the positive and not beat yourself up for a mistake means we have a chance to support each other as we get older.

Falling into your parenting will undoubtedly have stumbles along the way. Embrace them all, be confident in your abilities even on those tough days, and know that you are NOT alone in any of those struggles. Your way may not be the exact way I parent, but that does not make it wrong or worse in any way, shape, or form. Accept all the bumps and make those happy moments. Keep up the good work!

For a more in-depth look at how you can embrace your parenting to help your children learn and develop, check out my ebook here.

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