Who is ever qualified to give advise on parenting? Possibly grand parents? Then you say, their parenting style, 'in those days' may not suffice in this day and age.
People that already have Children? or someone you observe the attitude of his/her children and wish yours behave the same way? We all worry about bringing up our children. Are they going to turn out right? Will they be happy within themselves? Will they have good or supportive friends? Will they make the right choices?
I believe that good parenting has a bit of all of the above. You will definitely worry about your child, that is a given. If you are like me, you worry about their attitude towards their future, their education, ensuring that they do their home works and submit them on time and where they fail, that they seek for correction to avoid making the same mistake(s) twice (there is a saying that it seems that one makes the same mistakes over and over again because nature has a way of making you repeat your errors until you learn from it and seek ways to amend it)
Have discussions on how to bring your children up before you start having them, as it becomes a big issue when both parties are not in agreement of the type of discipline or upbringing, as children has a way of playing the parents against each other so that they will get their way. As it is always better when they realise that both of you are in agreement and your both sticking to your disciplinary point you gave to them.
There is definite need for discipline in the house, a house without discipline (line of authority), tend to be like the wild west, everyone is the boss. One person suffers to make the rest of the family happy, unfortunately one day that person will decide to stop being the "dust bin with hairy lid", who everyone else dumps their rubbish in.
There needs to be good line of communication in the home. The ability to build relationships with your spouse and children to enable everyone to talk freely without fear of repercussions or reprisals. This cultivates very healthy, honest environment, which in turn builds a child that has very good self-esteem.
Ensure that when you say that you will discipline a child that you do carry it out. If you do not do that you loose the little respect you had before embarking on the disciplinary journey.
You are your Children role model, no matter what you do, they will always follow what you do never what you say. So if you do not want them to be like you, you need to change your attitude and behaviour to who and what you want your children to be, because they are watching every step you make.
Make time for the children, go to their school functions, take them out site seeing, go on holidays together. This helps for a well balance family life. They are children for only a while. This is your time to build lasting happy memories with them, because very soon they may not have the time to spend with you anymore, either University, working or spending it with their friends and spouse. Time with them being children is too short, make the best of it.
