19 Ways To Be A Better Parent Right Now

Because "good enough" isn't.

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1. Compliment your kid more.

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Mom/blogger Jessica Abbot says a great way to make sure you acknowledge the things your kid is doing right is by putting three rubber bands on your arm at the start of the day, then taking one off every time you praise your kid. By the end of the day you should have taken off all the rubber bands — and complimented your kid (at least) three times.

2. Stop yelling so much.

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Similar to the Rubber Band Method is the Five Rings Method, which has you start the day with five rings on one arm. Every time you yell during the day you take off a ring. By drawing your attention to how many times you yell, you will learn to yell less.

3. Be more present with your kids.

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It's easy to get distracted, but Love Play Learn has a number of strong suggestions for being more present, including setting aside 20-30 minutes per day when you focus on your kid 100%.

4. Take The Mom Challenge (Dads can take it too.)

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It's A Fabulous Life has outlined almost a year's worth of wonderful weekly challenges that encourage you to do things like teach positivity to your kids.

5. Hug your kids longer.

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The Happiness Project says that it takes at least six seconds to get oxytocin and serotonin — aka the happy chemicals — flowing. Do you hug your kids that long? Mom/Blogger Kelly Holmes found that by hugging her partner and kids longer, it made her more relaxed and better able to deal with parenting challenges.

6. Handle it better when your kid talks back.

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It's important to understand why your kid is talking back in order to stop it. Find a list of reasons your kid might be talking back — plus strategies to deal with it — here.

7. Choose your battles.

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Are some of the things you and your kid fight over lower priority issues than others? If so, let the less important ones slide. This will make your kid much more likely to listen to you about the serious stuff.

8. Learn infant and child CPR.

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The above video gives a quick lesson, but you'll be even better prepared if you sign up for a class at your local Red Cross.

9. Help your kid to become a better reader.

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The printable seen above made by teacher Jodi Southard has a number of terrific questions parents can ask their kids during story time. Her website also has a similarly valuable printable for helping your kid with math.

10. Discipline without spanking.

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One way is by making a Glittery Time Out Timer. When your kid acts up you shake the bottle bringing all of the glitter to the top, then set it down. Your kid must sit quietly until the glitter settles. This both punishes and calms your kid.

11. Parent your kid in an age-appropriate way.

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Sometimes we are harder on younger kids than their age warrants; other times we treat older kids like babies. Making it a priority to parent our children in an age-appropriate way is a key part of raising well-adjusted kids.

12. Teach your kids to peacefully resolve conflicts using Paper, Rock, Scissors.

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Learn more here.

13. Keep your relationship alive.

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Kids can put stress on a couple, but it's important for both you and your kids that you keep your relationship healthy. Find 15 simple tips to keep the magic alive here.

14. Use the "asked and answered" technique to cut down on your kid's nagging.

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Learn more here.

15. Stop fighting with your partner about discipline strategies.

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When two parents have differing ideas on how best to discipline a kid, it can create a lot of conflict in the home. You can find five strategies (hint: they involve communication) that parents can use to get on the same page here.

16. Try to see the world from your kid's perspective.

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Parenting can sometimes feel like it's "us" against "them," but there's real value in seeing the world from your kid's perspective. The importance of slowing down, forgiving easily, and having fun are just a few things we can learn from our kids.

17. Take a break.

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Parenting is a very hard job that offers few opportunities to take a break. Breaks are critical, though, for a parent's mental well-being even if they're small breaks. Early Bird Mom breaks down some of the ways she manages to take a break here.

18. Write down three things that went right every night.

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A study by Martin Seligman found that people who wrote down three things that went well (and what caused them) before bed were happier even after just one week. This concept can be applied to parenting, too. Try ending your day by writing down three positive things that happened with your kid (along with the cause).

19. Never stop trying to learn and grow as a parent.

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Take the advice you like and leave the rest, but never stop challenging yourself to be the best parent you can be.

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