Many things in the world make raising kids difficult today. Marriage problems, financial stress, bad schools, uninterested teachers, trouble-making classmates, degrading media influences, and illnesses are just some of the things that will challenge you in raising your children the way you desire to. These negative things resist you in your attempt to be a "successful" parent.
Successfully raise kids in 2016 with these 3 tips:
1. Be Unreasonable: Some of you may be trying to teach your kid proper table manners. Meanwhile, your kid sees playmates eating like cavemen. Negative behavior is picked up much easier than positive--it's an uphill battle. It may take more than just occasionally showing your child how to hold a fork. As a parent, you need to do what others may call "unreasonable". Go overboard and watch YouTube cartoon videos teaching table manners with your kid; play tea time and make games out of it; tell grandma to discuss the issue. The point is, do more than what other parents consider normal.
2. Be Persistent: The problem is many parents underestimate the time, energy, and effort necessary to properly raise their kids how they wish to. You tell your son to pick up his toys, and he doesn't--or he does once every five times you ask, and soon you begin to accept the fact that he doesn't listen to you--or that you will have to have a tantrum for your message to get across. You have to come into the game knowing that it will be an uphill battle and you need to stay persistent and not let up on your demands. If you take the proper posture from the start and assume that it will take a ton of effort and energy to teach something to your kid, you will be ready for the battle.
3. Don't Lower Your Targets: If your target is to have your boy clean up his toys after each play session, don't lower your target if you meet resistance and be ok with letting it go when he doesn't clean. Your first goal wasn't attained so you lowered the target and decided that you'd let it slide and maybe he needs to only clean once every three or four times. It's not the kid that is the problem here, it's you as a parent having a goal but not following through in attaining that goal because some resistance made you lower your standard. Never reduce your parenting goals; rather increase your activity to make sure that the aims become realities.
Parenting is difficult work and society isn't making things any easier. As a mom or a dad, I'd encourage you to be unreasonable, persistent, and never lower your standards. Doing these 3 things alone will get you on the right track. If you'd like more on how to improve your home and business, check out my Super Life series here.
Be great,
Grant Cardone