When raising children, parents are often wary of advice and trust their own instincts coupled with a dose of common sense. As an old saying goes, “The wise don’t need advice and fools don’t heed it.” Still it would not hurt to listen to a few pieces to be an imperfect parent instead of striving to be the perfect one.

If you are a parent, here are 5 rules that will help you become an understanding and good parent that you should be in spite of your own flaws:

1. Try to be less anxious about your children, less strenuous in your efforts to do right by them. And when they fall short of expectations do not get so worked up trying to remedial help. Do not entertain visions of a ruined life for them in the future. Stop searching within yourself where you went wrong.

2. Remind yourself that you are their parent and not their Creator that parents are gardeners not sculptors. Have enough faith in them and trust that they have in themselves to become the people they were meant to be and you, as parent will help them uncover their potentials.

3. Teach by example, certain virtues you wish to foster in your children. Truthfulness, kindness, creativity, patience and thoughtfulness are qualities best learned not by constant lecture but by developing exactly the same things in yourself.

4. Never shame the children for their faults which can be yours as well. When they mess up, do listen to their side of the story. Make a real effort to understand their version – and design appropriate punishment that will help them learn their lesson without jeopardizing their fragile faith in themselves.

There are days when you feel frazzled, frustrated and furious. Instead of blowing up at your children, take time out to analyze what it is that is really troubling you and deal with it directly. It may be your work, or your finances, your mate or your health, things which your children have nothing to do with. Oftentimes children bear the brunt of emotional outbursts and not know why.

5. Teach yourself the art of saying ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry.’ These are words we can easily say to an adult but find it difficult to say to our children. When you fail to keep a promise, make it a point to own up to it, tell the truth and say you are sorry.

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Are you a parent or soon to become one? Want thirty-two tips on how to become a great mom — to your kids? Of course you do. So read on and soak up the suggestions. Your children will love you more than ever!

1) Love them unconditionally.
2) Provide them with food, clothing and shelter.
3) Protect them but do not overprotect them by not letting them make mistakes. Let them learn from their errors.
4) Be patient.
5) Be emotionally available to your children.
6) Be available more on weekends.
7) Demonstrate love and respect to your spouse so that they may learn to love and respect their future partners.
Teach them how to pray and be good Christians.
9) Be an active listener.
10) Let your children talk and do not interrupt them. You will always learn something new about them.
11) Put yourself in their shoes.
12) Empathize rather than sympathize with them.
13) Accept their imperfections.
14) Acknowledge their uniqueness.
15) Never compare them to other children.
16) Praise their efforts — both small and great.
17) Play with them. Be goofy. Be a kid at heart.
18) Create a family album or family tree project together. Tell them stories about your own grandparents, great-grandparents, ancestors. This will teach them the importance of family.
19) Respect their friends and treat them courteously, even if you don’t like some of them. If you’ve taught your kids well, they will know better than to keep bad company.
20) Make sure your children go to school ready to learn.
21) Make time to help them with homework.
22) Admit when you don’t know the answer. There is no shame in it. Your child will respect you more for your honesty.
23) Find the answer together. Two heads are better than one.
24) But do not give the answers too easily. Let them experience the thrill of finding out for themselves.
25) Monitor their academic progress. Any slip-ups must be nipped at the bud.
26) Attend school functions. Show them how much you support them.
27) Volunteer at the school. That’s teaching them school spirit!
28) Be friends with their teachers to teach them harmonious adult relationships.
29) if your child is an athlete, support him or her in victory or defeat.
30) Be a good role model for sportsmanship.
31) As we grow older and become what is euphemistically referred to as “more mature”, we tend to forget things about our childhood. Being around children can help us remember. And when we remember, we can recall those things adults did for us … and to us … and thus more easily make correct choices with our own children.
32) All parents make mistakes. Try to remember the mistakes your parents made with you, and endeavor to not repeat them. When (not “if”) you make mistakes with your own children, ask them to forgive you, promise to try to not make them again, and give your children permission to not make the same mistakes with their children. When they get older, you will be one of the people they most admire.

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As soon as you discover that you are pregnant you begin to see lots of things as cute and adorable. Everything related to babies becomes incredibly exciting and you begin to wonder what exactly you should be putting into your diaper bag to welcome the arrival of your precious newborn. As soon as your baby is born there will be two things that are basically constantly attached to you and that would be your baby and your diaper bag.

Here are several things that you are going to want to keep stocked in your diaper bag.

Diapers-ok this is a pretty obvious addition to any diaper bag but you should have at least 10 diapers packed in your diaper bag at all times.

Wipes-Wipes are essential for cleaning up your child after a dirty diaper. Wipes are also great for cleaning up runny noses and wiping off dry little hands and areas that your child may touch that may be full of germs..

A change of clothes-When you have a baby accidents are almost sure t happen so you should pack away no less then two extra outfits because you never know when then is going to be a diaper leak or some spit up.

Pacifiers-These can be life savers when you are running errands and you need to soothe a little one.

Bottle-Having and extra bottle packed in your diaper bag is a smart move in case you are no where near a sink to clean the bottle that you are currently using.

Travel Formula-Most brands of formula come in travel size packages for when you are traveling with your little one. You should also pair up travel formula with some bottle water for even more ease while travelling.

Toys-Keep a toy or two in your diaper bag to amuse your baby when you are out and about and need to talk to someone or get something done.

Medicine-Thinks like baby Advil, gas drops and baby orajel are all must haves.

Each and every mother is going to need to decide what is best for them and their baby however these are some of the most common items that all mothers put in their diaper bags.

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