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What are some parenting goals?

Being a parent is certainly an experience in extremes. There are times when it can be so fulfilling and rewarding for what has been accomplished as a parent, yet plenty of other times when the best a parent can feel is stressed and frustrated.

Nearly every parent will admit to sometimes feeling over their heads in a job for which no one has trained them, but most people still find that being a parent is wonderful and challenging. And, when they approach parenting in a positive way, it’s possible to increase the wonderful aspects while reducing the stress of the job.

One way to do that is to bring a bit of the business world into their work as a parent. A good businessman almost always starts with a business plan, setting goals and outlining how those goals will be reached. Parents can do a similar thing to help bring more consistency to their parenting, rather than simply reacting to situations or disciplining haphazardly.

They could start by writing down reasonable, positive goals in regard to what they’d like to achieve with their child. These goals can be as broad as wanting to support the child by expressing love and acceptance. They might include not wanting to withdraw affection simply because they’re angry with their child.

The next step is to figure out how to reach those goals. If it’s a broad goal, add specifics to it. If the goal is to be consistent in regard to discipline, the parent could think about how they can work together with their child to set limits and boundaries and develop reasonable penalties when those limits are ignored. If a goal is to more consistently demonstrate love and support, consider ways to make that abstract goal a real world happening.

The last step is to put these goals into practice. Realize that it may take time and repeated tries to achieve these goals. You may find some are unattainable and need to be revised. Parenting is always going to be a dynamic experience that requires time, patience and practice.

Parents should allow the child, and themselves, to make mistakes as they try to work toward the goals and they should reward both the child and themselves when they succeed. When a businessman has a solid business plan, success comes in reach. That’s what parents want to shoot for in setting goals as a parent.

Counseling Corner is provided by the American Counseling Association. Send comments and questions to [email protected] or visit the ACA website at http://www.counseling.org.

 

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