8 Parenting Mistakes To Avoid In 2018

Unlike fixing a computer, how to parent your child doesn’t come with a user manual and parents are certain to make mistakes without even realising it. Here are some of the common mistakes of parenthood and how to correct them.

- Samantha Tan

Parenting is hard, period. No matter how many children you have, the intention to be the best parent ever never goes away and so we read books for parenting techniques to apply, look at how others parent their children or even try and glean tips from our childhood. But no matter how much you try to prevent it, mistakes will be made even without you realising it. After all, no one is born knowing how to be the perfect parent. Most of us learn and adjust our parenting styles through experience, and trial and error. The objective here is not to point fingers at anyone or their parenting styles. However, it is important for all parents to be aware of common pitfalls in parenting so that you can learn and grow on your parenting journey. Here goes!

1 Living vicariously through our children

All of us have something that we have always wanted to do and never did or never could, like a missed opportunity or a childhood dream. As young and impressionable children are, it is easy for parents to project their own hopes and aspirations onto our children and sign them up for various classes in the hopes that they will succeed at it. While is it great to expose your children to the many activities, try not to pressure them too much and instead ask them if they are happy.

2 Acknowledging that there is no perfect child

As parents, we love to hear good things about our children and preen proudly when it happens. However, what about when the feedback is negative? Parents often respond badly to anything negative about their children and tend to attack or blame the messenger, even when the intention is coming from a place of concern.