A Parenting List!

Motherhood Uncensored has a Be a Better Parent Challenge going on, and for one who feels a little nervous and clueless about the whole parenting scene (and also one who loves a list), it's been enlightening to mull over her strategies.

• Be present.
• Punish without anger.
• No more "good job!" Be specific with praise.
• Take a break from your kid.
• Know your triggers and try to avoid them.
• Be the fun one.
• You're not perfect. Acknowledge it with them, and move on.
• Play what they want to play.
• Instead of "in a minute" give an actual measurable time and stick to it.
• Catch them being good and give positive reinforcement.
• Start a weekly family tradition.
• Say what you mean and mean what you say.
• Don't ask. Tell.
• Get happy!
• Let the other parent parent.
• Keep a parenting journal.
• Control your temper. High emotion begets high emotion.
• Have dates with your kid.
• Give them choices--two, highly-regulated, clear choices.
• Label their choices as good or bad, not the kids as good or bad.

Okay, this list doesn't address what I'm most nervous about: an unreasonable, inconsolable, floppy mass of newborn baby. I still don't know about that, but it's pretty encouraging to think that so many of these were strategies I used in teaching. Um, hello, positive reinforcement and giving choices and disengaging my anger. Those three things transformed my classroom. I mean, come on, we've even seen the power of positive reinforcement (and failure of negative) in housebreaking Lu! Okay, I'm starting to feel better.

Now, I just need to crack open my Happiest Baby on the Block and Babywise.