Continuing on with parenting skills, spousal skills and what makes a good parent, let’s speak a little on the concept of feeling grateful. An old story I heard about a younger man, who was having marital problems, asking an older man how he had such a good marriage for so many years, has a lot of meaning. The older man replied “In my day we didn’t expect so much, so we got a lot more”. This is so true. Being grateful, right here, right now is essential in parenting skills and what makes a good parent. Having this mentality helps us to decrease our material needs, which are actually material wants and are endless, and expand our spiritual needs. To be grateful right now requires looking within and using our brain. It is the starting point for coming to terms with who we are and what we have accomplished and how far we have to go. In this self exploration and coming to gratefulness as a conclusion is the greatest gift you can give to yourself, your spouse and your children.

When you live in gratefulness, you appreciate more what you have. When you appreciate more what you have, you are a better parent, a better spouse a better citizen. When you are grateful your family enjoys you more and you them. You will find the only real way to peace.

Good parenting skills begin with the idea of gratefulness and leads to what makes a good parent. Next, gratefulness needs to be expressed as greater acknowledgement of others. Thanking your spouse for being there for you, not just as a concept, but in practical things. Thanking your spouse for cooking and cleaning, for going to work, for loving you is critical. Thanking your kids for doing well in school or doing their chores without too much a fuss is critical. Being grateful is a key ingredient in parenting skills and what makes a good parent when the kids aren’t doing well. It doesn’t mean don’t set rules or punish. It means explaining better what the rules are and why you have them so they can learn.

Be grateful today for your family and your life.

Good luck,

Dr. Bocknek
Dr. Robert Bocknek is the problem solving expert for marriage, parents and families at www.takebackthehome.com and www.keyboard-culture-parenting.com. He can be reached at bocknek@takebackthehome.com. He is author of the “Take Back the Home course” and the “Learning how to Learn course” which can be seen at www.takebackthehome.com.

     

More on Topics: Parenting Skills, What Makes A Good Parent

Tags: Parenting Skills, What Makes A Good Parent

This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 12:39 pm and is filed under the category Dr. Robert Bocknek, Family, Parenting, Parenting Tips, Teen Parenting, Teenage Parenting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.