In the following articles you will learn tips for parenting. You will find information regarding development of children, discipline, how to help your baby sleep at night, and overall what it means to be a parent.
What Is a Parent?
The dictionary defines parent as a mother or father and ancestor, a very simplistic definition for a very complicated vocation. What makes a parent? Love certainly, but what defines you as a parent. As a mother is it only the fact that you carried your baby for nine months and then gave birth? Because the father was present at the time of creation does that make him a parent? The answer to both is, of course, yes. However, the simplistic definition isn’t what we are discussing here.
Unconditional love should be a part of parenthood, but what if you weren’t ready to be a parent and all it seems like is an inconvenience. Can you or would you be able to give that newborn the love it deserves? We all hope the answer would be yes, but it isn’t always. The care a newborn needs is very demanding and tiring. The joy of being a parent can dim for those who desired a child more than anything. Parenting involves the basics like feeding, changing and bath time, but that definitely isn’t everything. Nurturing your child, bonding while nursing or bottle feeding is one of the greatest joys of parenting. Watching as your infant gives you that first smile and the feeling of their tiny finger wrapping around yours can’t be explained or duplicated.
While you can read all the parenting books before you become a parent, there is no substitute for experience. The books will tell you what to do, how to do it and even when to call the doctor, but the all encompassing joy is yours to explore. Someone once said that you are a parent forever, so if you aren’t in for the long haul, rethink parenthood. The joys will eventually give way to tears and frustration and can cause a rift in your marriage. Parenthood is not for the faint of heart.
Family time is an important aspect of being a parent and in this technological age sometimes it is too easy to forget about interaction. The parents who are involved in their children’s lives will find the benefits more than outweigh the long hours invested. Watching the joy on your child’s face when you are there to watch the soccer game or dance recital cannot be replaced. When the children get to teenage years sometimes we as parents think we aren’t needed as much. Although at this stage we have given them their values and they are longing for freedom, we still are needed every day. The parent can still be a sounding board for their child and give advice when asked.
So to answer the question about what is a parent is more complex than the definition in a dictionary. When from their first breath we love them beyond all reason we are also teaching them to be independent. This can be one of the biggest lessons we have to learn as parents. We always want what is best for them and sometimes it is hard for us to let that happen.